The Legend of Chastity Lorna
by Alicia Jennings
Summary: Slavery, slander...it's all a part of a world living in fear of Voldemort. When Harry meets someone at a bar one night, he discovers their past goes back much further than he originally thought...and they must fulfill destiny...(ch.12 up!)
1. Anneli

Paradise... Or Something Like It  
  
By Alicia Marie Jennings  
Genre: Romance/Drama  
Keywords: Harry/Hermione  
  
CHAPTER ONE Anneli  
  
The night was dark and cold. But really, it was more lonely than cold. Twenty-one year old Harry Potter leaned against a wall in Westling Alley, an offshoot of Diagon Alley, hands stuffed in his pockets, wondering what to do and where to go. He didn't have a girlfriend so he didn't have a date; he found that most of the girls who pursued him were shallow and only cared for his looks and fame, not the person inside. His thoughts flickered to the one girl he'd known that hadn't befriended him because of those things.  
  
Hermione Anne Elizabeth Granger.  
  
He and Ron had lost touch with Hermione, and their owl post couldn't find her. The three of them had been through a terrible near-death experience with Voldemort, and it had traumatized Hermione. He and Ron looked everywhere, but no one could find where the clever young woman had disappeared to. They'd looked for her parents, but they'd disappeared, or so it seemed, also. Harry had suspicions that she was working for W.I.D., or Wizarding Intelligence Department. They'd tracked her down when she was a seventh year at Hogwarts and offered her a job right after she graduated. She'd told them no, but Harry thought that maybe, just maybe, she might've changed her mind. Harry's thoughts crossed another possibility - Voldemort. He shuddered, imagining what Voldemort would have done to one of his best friends.  
  
Harry looked down the street again, looking for a warm place and possibly a brandy or two. A small pub was down the lane to his left, its' windows glowing with golden light. He hesitated a moment, then walked down to it and entered, carefully adjusting his hat and bangs so that his scar wouldn't be seen. He wanted to be alone tonight.  
  
Rock music blasted from a radio in the corner. A small platform was beside the large radio, where Harry presumed they had musical acts. And in another corner, there were some booths that reminded him of the booths at The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. The bar was immediately to his left. He sat down on one of the dark red leather stools, still looking around the place.  
  
The bartender, a middle-aged man with sandy hair, smiled at him. "Wha' can I get ye to drink, sir?"  
  
"Scotch, please." Harry slapped some coins down on the table, and received his drink. As he took a sip, the platform by the radio became illuminated with spotlights.  
  
The man sitting next to Harry, who was middle-aged, began yelling and clapping, like the many others around him. Then Harry realized something. There were only men in this bar.  
  
"What's going on?" he yelled to the man next to him.  
  
"Girls, man! The girls are about to come on!"   
  
"What girls?" Harry asked stupidly. Luckily, the man didn't hear him. A door opened and the "girls" came on the stage.  
  
Harry choked on his scotch, realizing what the man was so excited about. These girls weren't wearing much of anything at all. Tiny bikinis, so tiny that Harry wondered if some double-sided tape was hidden in there somewhere. His face turned red at the thought. All of them were pretty, but most attentions went to the girl in the center. She had dark blonde hair, in curls halfway down her back. She had generous curves, in all the right places, with a slim waist. They began dancing to the music on the radio, much to the men's approval.  
  
"Who's the one in the middle?" Harry shouted to the man beside him over the music.  
  
"Anneli," he answered back, before tossing money onto the stage.  
  
Harry went back to his second scotch. He had no time for women. Most of all, he didn't have the patience. They were so complicated. The song ended, and the girls came out into the audience, hanging on the men, and picking up money off of all of them, giggling and laughing in high pitches.  
  
"What's up there, big boy?" drawled a voice behind him. Harry choked on his scotch again, then turned.  
  
It was the one with the curly blonde hair. She twirled a curl around a finger, and with the other hand wrapped around the back of his neck. "A man like you shouldn't be out alone. Where's your girl?" Her eyes were a deep, rich brown color, that he thought he might've seen somewhere, but he pushed that thought away.  
  
"I....uh...don't have one," he choked out. His hormones were beginning to get the better of his speech.  
  
"Well..." she said, practically sitting down in his lap, "Maybe we should get to know each other a little better."  
  
Harry's speech continued to worsen, partly because of the incredibly beautiful scantily clad woman on his lap, and partly due to the fact he couldn't hold his liquor worth hell. "How much?"  
  
She chuckled. "Oh, for you, an incredibly low price....maybe even free." She grabbed his hand, pulling him through the crowd, out of the bar and into a hallway. Then she led him into a room and shut the door behind them. It was very dark.  
  
"Now," she said, sitting on the bed, "Prelims, or no prelims, just doing it? Personally, I like the latter."  
  
Harry supposed that sounded pretty good to him. They kissed, a kiss with burning passion and desire from both sides, Anneli's hands snaking around his neck, his around her waist, moving up. That little bit of cloth was in his way. He untied it, and it fell onto the sheets.  
  
~*~*~*~*~   
  
Harry awoke around two o' clock. At first, he was confused, sleeping in an unknown bed with a pounding headache. Then it all came back to him as the girl beside him stirred. They kissed again, with just as much passion as they had a few hours earlier. He drew back, and noticed something he hadn't noticed before.  
  
Right above her left breast was a strange, small scar, much like the one on his forehead, the mark of a deadly curse. She noticed his stare. "Oh, that....just a Muggle car accident. Happened a couple of years ago."  
"That was no car accident," Harry said shortly. And then it clicked in his head. In their experience with Voldemort, the dark wizard had thrown a deadly curse at Hermione. But Harry had shielded her with a rare charm that only he and a few other wizards had been able to perform, and the curse only gave her a small scar on the left side of her chest. He looked into her face, blinking, trying to clear his vision. "Hermione. It's me."  
  
It was the girl's turn to blink, and she swept Harry's bangs aside. "Oh my God....Harry....What are you doing here?"  
  
"I could ask you the same thing," he pointed out.  
  
"You first," she said, standing up and walking over to the dresser, throwing on an old shirt. He recognized it as one of his old Quidditch team T-shirts.  
  
"Came here for a drink. Didn't expect to get picked up by a scarlet woman," he retorted. "Now for your side of the story. Where have you been for these past few years? Here?"  
  
"No," she snapped, sitting back down on the bed. "I haven't been playing the harlot since graduation. My parents and I got kidnapped by a gang of Death Eaters. I was freed six months ago. My parents weren't so lucky." Hermione blinked back tears, and took a deep breath. "They were killed a few months prior to my release."  
  
"I'm so sorry," Harry said softly.  
  
Hermione shook her head. "Isn't your fault. When I was released, I started looking for a job that didn't require a lot of magic, and I saw a waitressing ad. So, I went for the interview and I got the job. Only, it didn't exactly turn out to be a waitressing job."  
  
"This?"  
  
Hermione nodded. "Yeah. The owner knew I was just released from the Death Eaters, and so he said that if I quit or tried to run away he'd tell Voldemort. So I've been stuck here. Oh, by the way...." She held out a Muggle coffee can. "Pay up."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You heard me! Pay up. I'm supposed to be giving you the best night of your life right now, not my life story, and I have a quota to meet. Pay up."  
  
Harry dropped some money in. "Quota?"  
  
"Yeah. If each of us girls doesn't make at least 25 Galleons in a night......it's bad. So -" She put the coffee can back under the bed. "Where's Ron? How is he?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "Fine, I guess. He and Lavender are engaged. They've both been worried sick about you."  
  
"Stupid Fudge. If he actually would take some action, all of these kidnappings wouldn't be happening." She shook her head. "And Dumbledore?"  
  
"Still leading the fight against Voldemort and managing Hogwarts at the same time. He's been trying to find you too."  
  
Hermione sighed. "I've missed them all so much. I've missed you and Ron so much, too. Three years in a dark, damp cell is enough to make anyone miss someone so much it aches. I'd go to sleep, and I'd dream about the three of us while we were at Hogwarts. I'd wake up, and I'd hear your voices in the halls..." She sniffed, and Harry put his arms around her.  
  
"It'll be okay, Hermione. I'm going to get you out of here, and back to my flat, and we'll get you back into the real world and away from Voldemort and all of his little cronies, okay? I promise." He let her cry, for what seemed an eternity, and her sobs finally subsided.  
  
"Sorry," she whispered, hurriedly wiping away her tears. "It's just that seeing you finally is such a relief."   
  
Harry didn't know what to say, so he stroked her hair, and rocked her gently, comforting her the only way he knew how. Suddenly, she froze. "What's the matter?" he asked.  
  
"Footsteps," she croaked. "Quick, under the covers." She slipped the t-shirt off and ducked under the covers beside him. He felt her tremble, and the door opened.  
  
"Anneli, he's had long enough." Harry recognized the voice as the man who'd been sitting beside him at the bar, and suddenly he felt braver.  
  
"I'll pay double if I can stay until morning," he said, his voice muffled by the sheets.  
  
"How much has he paid?"  
  
Hermione's voice shook slightly as she said, "Thirteen Galleons, sir."  
  
"Very well." The door shut, and Hermione breathed a very small sigh of relief, grabbing her T-shirt again.   
  
"Thank you," she whispered.  
  
"My pleasure," he answered. "After all, I am getting to see one of my best friends almost completely naked, and it's the one best friend I wouldn't mind seeing naked."  
  
Hermione shoved him. "Harry, when I'm outta here, you're going to pay for that. Besides, this is strictly professional." Harry snorted. "Well it is, whether by choice or not. So get over it. Now, how are we getting out of here?"  
  
Harry sighed. "Well, I have an idea, but you're not going to like it."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"I buy you off of them."  
  
"It's violating all of the laws of the wizarding world, but I like anything that'll get me out of this hellhole."  
  
"Then it's settled." Harry held out his hand, and then drew it back. "C'mon, can't I get more than a handshake? I liked that kiss a while ago."  
  
Hermione leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "G'night, Harry."  
  
"Not fair!"  
  
"Good night."  
  
"Please?"   
"Harry, for God's sake, good night!"  
  
~  
  
When Harry awoke again, it was still dark outside, and through the small window he could see stars. He looked at his watch - 5 a.m. Hermione had her head on his chest, her breathing soft and rhythmic. "Hermione," he whispered. " 'Mione."  
  
She stirred. "Hmm?"  
  
"Maybe we should pack your stuff. There isn't much, but all the same."  
  
"Okay," she murmured sleepily, rubbing her eyes and brushing stray strands of hair out of her eyes. "What time is it?"  
  
"Five. But I wanna be out of here early."  
  
"The boss'll be up and in the bar at six. That'll give us plenty of time. I don't have much to pack...I really don't have that many clothes," she said absentmindedly, emptying the contents of her drawers into a suitcase. She missed Harry's snort of laughter. "Turn 'round, I gotta get dressed."  
  
"Is there anything I haven't seen?" said Harry, exasperated. But he turned around at the look that he received at his smart-aleck remark. Hermione dressed quickly, and began to brush her hair so fast that electric sparks crackled.   
  
"Whoa! Slow down, little bookworm! We've got forty-five minutes!" Harry took the brush from her and began to gently brush her long, curly locks. "You're acting like you're late for Judgement Day."  
  
"Depending on how this plan goes, I might be acting accordingly," she said, turning her back to him so he could brush her hair. "D'you know how long it's been since someone else brushed my hair?"  
  
"A while?"  
  
"Yeah. A long time. I don't think I've ever had a guy brush my hair. Where'd you learn to use a brush, anyway?" she teased.  
  
"Haha. Don't insult the one who holds the brush," he said, brushing through a snarl, causing Hermione to wince. "So, how much d'you think you're going to cost me?"  
  
Hermione shrugged. "I have no idea. He's sold other girls before, but I never heard the price." She looked at the bedside clock. "It's almost time. I'm going to say good-bye to the other girls." She jumped off the bed, and went back to the chest-of-drawers, tugging it away from the wall, where there was an air vent. "Selena! Wake up! Get the others to come in here"  
  
"What the bloody hell's going on?"  
  
"You'll see, just get in here." Hermione moved the drawers back into place, ending the conversation. "Is it all right if we tell them who we really are?"  
  
Harry thought for a moment. "I dunno....can we trust them?"   
Hermione nodded. "I would trust them with my life."  
  
"I trust you with my life, and I believe you, so go ahead. I just hope they get here soon -" His words were cut off when he heard a creak. "What was that?"   
"You'll see." Hermione grinned. "It's a little secret passageway we discovered. Selena can go to Linne and Brita's rooms upstairs, and there was a door leading down here in Brita's room." There was a *Flooomp* as three girls in pajamas landed on Hermione's bed. "It's right over the bed."  
  
"I can see that," said Harry, looking at the ceiling. The girls got up, dusting themselves off. Hermione hugged them all.   
  
"I'm finally leaving, I'm being bought," she told them, happy tears in her eyes. "One of my friends was in the bar last night, and I brought him here as a customer, but then found out his real identity. He's gonna buy me off of the boss."  
  
"Oh, all right, I'll show them..." Harry said gruffly. He swept his bangs off his forehead, exposing his lightening-shaped scar. The girls gasped.  
  
"Harry Potter...." said the raven-haired one. "I'm Brita."  
  
"And I'm Linne," said the red-haired one.  
  
"And I'm Selena," said the girl with brown hair. "Is this the guy you're always talking about, Anneli? The one you went to school with?"  
  
"The one and same," said Hermione, grinning. "And there's something else I need to tell you. I'm not Anneli Bradenhurst."  
  
"You're not?" Linne looked bewildered.  
  
"No. I'm Hermione Granger."  
  
A flurry of questions erupted from the three girls.  
  
"The one who was Head Girl at Hogwarts?"  
  
"The one who helped the captives escape at The Battle of Brundein?"  
  
"The one who dueled with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley against Voldemort and his Death Eaters and survived a deadly curse and won?"  
  
"The one who went missing?"   
"The one and same," said Hermione, smiling. "Have I really done all that? Harry gets the credit for me surviving Avada Kedavra. If not for him, I wouldn't be here."  
  
Selena shook her head. "A hero living with us and we didn't know it."  
  
"Too bad they took away your wand," said Brita. "The boss's got it in his office though. Maybe you can get it back when you leave."  
  
"Correction - Harry will get it when we leave. I'm his property now, remember? You can't let anyone here know who I really am, okay? This is strictly between us. Many people's lives would be in danger if my real identity was made known. The only one who knows is the boss."  
  
"Mum's the word," said Linne, clamping her lips shut.  
  
"We wish you well," said Selena, smiling at Hermione. "Get Ron Weasley to come here and buy us out....we'd have seen the whole trio then."  
  
Everyone laughed, and Harry picked up Hermione's bags. "I guess we're off. It was nice meeting you all. If I can, I'll get something done about this." There was no need to define "this".   
  
"We appreciate it," said Brita, her eyes rimming with tears. "May God's angels protect you and watch over you."  
  
After last hugs and goodbyes, Harry and Hermione made their way downstairs to the bar area. As Hermione said, the boss was down there, surrounded by three colleagues. Harry was strongly reminded of Draco Malfoy. "Hello, sir," he called across the room.  
  
"Ah, good morning," said The Boss. "I trust you had a pleasant night?"  
  
"The best," Harry assured him. "In fact, I've come to make a deal with you. How much would you sell her to me for?"  
  
The Boss looked thoughtful. "Well.....she wasn't exactly up for sale, Mr..."  
  
"Dursley," said Harry, saying the first name that popped into his mind. "Vernon Dursley. I run my own business in Ireland. The money's all over there with those Irishmen, they say."  
  
"Yes, yes," said The Boss. "But Anneli here is my prettiest girl. If I sell her, my business might drop."  
  
"Seventy-five Galleons." Harry's grip on Hermione's hand tightened. She could tell he was nervous.  
  
"Seventy-five? For a girl like Anneli? At least a hundred, Mr. Dursley."  
  
"A hundred it is then," said Harry, sick of the ordeal.  
  
"Sold. When can I expect the payment?"  
  
"As soon as I can go to Gringotts, sir. Just hand me over her wand and we'll be on our way there."  
  
The Boss beckoned his cronies. "Go get Anneli's papers and her wand. Top drawer of the cabinet. Sign this form," said The Boss to Harry. The cronies left The Boss, Harry, and Hermione in uncomfortable silence. The two fidgeted nervously, tapping feet against the floor and fingers on the table, until The Boss gave them each a look. They soon returned with the files and, much to Harry and Hermione's relief, a long, narrow box sure to contain her wand.   
  
"Thank you sir, it was was a pleasure doing business with you. I'll have the money sent by today. Good day to you." Harry and Hermione controlled their pace as they walked to the door, out of the dark room and into the early morning sunshine.  
  
"Keep walking," Harry murmurred out of the side of his mouth. "Keep walking, not too fast but not too slow. We're almost to Diagon Alley."  
  
"Freedom," Hermione whispered. "Just a little bit further." And then the gates opened to the familiar, cheery Diagon Alley. Hermione looked around at the bright buildings and the cheery faces, and then broke down and began to cry.  
  
Freedom....for the first time in almost three very long years. Freedom. 


	2. The beginning of an explanation

The Legend of Chastity Lorna  
Chapter Two  
By Alicia Marie Jennings  
~  
  
"Hermione? Are you all right?"  
  
Hermione sunk down on a bench. "It's just so good to be free from that. To see Diagon Alley again."  
  
Harry sat down beside her. "Well, there's just one last thing..." He drew forth the box. "Happy Freedom Day," he said, smiling, as he drew forth her wand and placed it in her hand.  
  
She hugged him. "Thank you so much."  
  
Harry akwardly hugged her back. "Now," he said, clearing his throat, "Let's go to my place, get cleaned up, and go see Dumbledore."  
  
"Er, Harry?" Hermione paused. "Can we get me some robes? All I have are Muggle clothes, and they're in pretty bad shape. And I don't want to go meet Dumbledore in the thing I was in at the club last night."  
  
"Madame Malkin's, here we come," said Harry quickly, dragging Hermione to her feet.  
  
~~~  
  
While Hermione tried on robes at Madame Malkin's, Harry went to a local owl post office and sent a letter to Dumbledore and Ron. He returned shortly, and Hermione was modeling a set of light pink robes.  
  
"Do these look okay, Harry?" Hermione did a smal pirouette, modeling the robes.  
  
"We'll get them," he told her. "I also like these blue ones, though."  
  
"Harry, you're not buying me an entire new wardrobe -"  
  
Harry cut her off. "Yes, I am," he said firmly. "I'm giving you a roof over your head, food to eat, and clothes to wear until you get back on your feet, Hermione. And don't you argue with me," he said, anticipating her comeback. He leaned closer to her. "You're mine to do with as I please."  
  
Hermione punched his arm lightly.  
  
They walked out of Madame Malkin's half an hour later, with five new sets of robes for Hermione. She kept murmurring her thanks as they walked to Harry's apartment, only a short distance away.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Professor Dumbledore,  
  
I'll be bringing an old friend by around 1:00 this afternoon. We have some very important things to discuss.  
  
Regards,  
Harry Potter  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Hermione stood before a long mirror in Harry's bedroom, draped in a bath sheet-sized towel. Her hair was dry, her slight bit of makeup on (she enjoyed the freedom of natural makeup after having to paint her face up with dark eyeliners and bright blushes for so long). She laid down on the bed, listening to the sound of the shower and Harry's low singing. Gradually, she fell asleep, waking when Harry entered the room in a towel.  
  
"Oh! Sorry Hermione, thought you were done...I'll, just, er...." Harry looked uncomfortable.  
  
Hermione rose, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. " S'okay, Harry. This IS your room. We'll just turn our backs to each other. It's not as though we haven't seen each other anyway," she said, mirroring his words to her that morning with a grin.  
  
They changed quickly, and Harry took out some Floo powder, throwing it on the fire. "Hogsmeade!" they yelled as they stepped into the flames.  
  
They were whisked away.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Dumbledore sat in his office, the silvery Pensieve before him, deep in thought. He thought back to an evening many months earlier as he prodded the silvery liquid with his wand.  
  
****  
  
"Dumbledore, it's quite obvious that she's the one. She's Chastity Lorna, incarnate."  
  
"Alastor, I want to believe you, but how can you be sure? How is it so obvious?"  
  
Mad-Eye Moody snorted. "Well, for one, she's a spitting image of Chastity Lorna from the painting on the third floor. And, for another, the time of birth is exactly true to that old sorceror's prediction. And...." He hesitated. "I think I've found Perrin, too."  
  
"Who's he?"  
  
"Harry Potter."  
  
****  
  
There was a knock on the door, which snapped Dumbledore out of his thoughts and back into the world. "Come in, Mr. Potter."  
  
Harry entered the office, a lady with curly, honey-brown hair in pink robes on his arm. "Professor, meet Anneli Bradenhurst."  
  
Her head tilted upward, and Dumbledore saw the face of the legend, Chastity Lorna. He controlled his voice. "Welcome back, Miss Granger."  
  
"An excellent guess, Professor," Hermione said, smiling and embracing him. "It's so good to see you again."  
  
"Likewise, Miss Granger," he said warmly. "We have missed you these past three years. Please, be seated." The two young adults sat. "Now, Miss Granger, I'm afraid I must ask you some difficult questions. Where have you been?"  
  
Hermione began to explain. She talked about Voldemort kidnapping, imprisoning, and torturing her and her family. She told of hearing the screams of his other victims, seeing her parents die. She talked about the Death Eaters and their own cruelties. Then she talked about the "brothel", or the bar where Harry found her. Most of the time, the girls would be sold to the owner, or be forced into the business. And once you got in, you usually didn't get out. They had to dance for the customers, and if they didn't make their quota by that, they had to take the customers to bed.  
  
"And how in the world did you two meet up?" asked Dumbledore.  
  
Harry and Hermione squirmed a little. "Er...."  
  
"Well...."  
  
"I went into the bar for a drink..."  
  
"...and I was working..."  
  
"...and, er..."  
  
"I sorta picked him up. And I didn't figure out who he was 'till after," said Hermione, who was the shade of her new pink robes by now.  
  
"I....see," said Dumbledore, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "How many other girls were there?"  
  
"Three others, sir."  
  
"How many people are in this underground slave trade? How many slaves are there?"  
  
Hermione shrugged. "Anywhere from five hundred to a thousand. It's just here in the British Isles. It hasn't spread anywhere else."  
  
Dumbledore was taking notes, his quill sratching out information rapidly. Hermione continued talking until she had told all she could remember at the moment.  
  
"Why does he target me?" asked Hermione. "If he was trying to get to Harry he'd target Ron too. Why me?"  
  
Dumbledore sighed, putting down his quill. "Have either of you heard The Legend of Chastity Lorna and Perrin Allen?"  
  
Harry and Hermione glanced at each other. "No," the answered together.  
  
Dumbledore sighed. "Well, get comfortable," he said, waving his wand and transforming the two chairs into one large, cushy couch. "This will take a while."  
  
  
Author's Note:  
  
So sorry that it's short! I didn't want to start on The Legend until a new chapter 'cause it might take a while. There's not too much H/Hr other than the "whoops we slept together" part right now, but there will be more soon. They haven't realized it yet. :-) Thanks to the reviewers - alecia, lightning bug, Emili Potter, and E. C. R. Potter! Here's to hoping I get to thank more reviewers next chapter!  
  
Ciao -  
Alicia  
  
P.S. Only 16 more school days for moi! HipHipHooray! Maybe I'll survive sophmore year AFTER all! 


	3. The Legend...Part One

The Legend of Chastity Lorna  
Chapter Three: The Legend, Part One  
By Alicia Jennings  
~  
  
"It all began when Charles the Second, the "merry monarch", became king. He took for him a wife, Catherine of Braganza, a Portuguese princess with a large dowry. Charles had many illegitimate children by dozens of mistresses. One of his children, however, was a legitimate child, born of wedlock; a baby girl named Chastity Lorna. Charles sent most of his children off for fostering. Chastity, however, was different....he kept her in his and his wife's care..." Dumbledore began telling the tale of tragedy, ignorance, and of love found and lost.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Catherine sat at Charles' left at the large banquet table, pondering the reasons upon why she was here, in England, at this table. Ahhh, now she remembered. Eager to marry her off to the first rich monarch, her father gave her to this pig who ruled England.   
He could have dozens of children by his mistresses, yet she couldn't conceive the sickliest little son. It was hurtful. She wanted a son so much. Maybe, if she had a boy, Charles would pay more attention to her. Maybe he would have an heir to this precious throne.  
  
For now, though, all she had was Chastity. Catherine loved the girl. She was so sweet, vivacious, and full of life. The exact opposite of her father. The only time he was vivacious was when he'd had too much to drink. Of course, that was becoming more often.  
  
Charles had upset her greatly as of late. He spoke of nothing but possible suitors for Chastity. Catherine wept bitterly at the thought of Chastity going away, out of her life. What would she do without her? And Chastity was not yet ready for marriage. She had just begun her monthly courses. She had to become stronger before she was thrown into the world of marriage and childbearing.  
  
Catherine shivered in the chill autumn air. She knew in her heart, however, that she was not shivering from the cold, rather from her fears.  
~  
  
Charles the Second, King of Britain, stood up, and the hall fell silent. He smiled at them all.  
  
"Welcome! I bid you welcome!" Applause rang throughout the hall. "We are here ere the occasion of my beloved daughter's seventeenth birthday. We wish thee well, Chastity," he said, raising his goblet.  
  
"We wish thee well," the crowd chorused, and drank to her honor. Chastity smiled and drank. Instead of her usual water, it was rich, red wine. She blinked, trying to accustom herself to its' taste. Her best friend, Perrin, chuckled beside her.  
  
"Dost the lady not liken herself to the wine?" He took a deep drink of his.  
  
"No, I do not," she said under her breath. "And I am not yet a lady. I am but a child."  
  
"Thou dost not have the look of a young girl," said Perrin, grinning mischievously.  
  
"Perrin Allen!" Self-consciously, her hand flew to the top of her dress. It was a little low cut, granted, but she did not have much to flaunt! "And art thou truly a man?"  
  
"Dost thou wish to look and see?" Perrin grabbed her hand and swept it under the table, and she gave a small shriek and yanked it away. Perrin grinned. "You know I am only jesting."  
  
Chastity gave him a small glare as she ate a small bite of the rich food on her plate. "Thou art a fool on occasion."  
  
"What occasions are those?" asked Perrin as he too ate of the rich food.  
  
"The occasions at which you wish to embarrass me, sir," she answered.  
  
"What, dost thou now call me sir?"  
  
"If thou art to call me a lady, a title that I am not worthy of, I shall call you a title that thou are not worthy of either."  
  
Perrin shook his head at her remark as the king stood once more. A hush fell again.  
  
"Good ladies and sirs! I have splendid, splendid news from the fair land of my lady's birth! The good Sir William, cousin to my lady queen, wishes to wed my fair daughter Chastity!"  
  
Chastity and Perrin's mouths dropped as cheers went up from the crowd of nobles. All at once, women were swooping down to her, giving her hugs and pinching her cheeks. The young girl sat, her food forgotten, as activity bustled around her. The minstrels struck up a lively tune, and men and women began to dance the last dance of the night.   
  
Chastity got up, as if to dance, but signaled Perrin to follow her. They snuck out of the banquet hall unnoticed, sneaking up the stairs to her rooms.  
  
"I cannot marry him!" Chastity burst out, sinking down into a cushion by the fire. "I shall die before I do!"  
  
"No, thou wilt yet live," said Perrin. "Mayhap something will happen to him en route to England. A storm, or a catastrophe."  
  
"Not with mine luck," answered Chastity, tears flowing freely. "With mine, it is most like that a storm shall cometh upon him, and he survive, and be hailed as a hero."  
  
"Come hither," whispered Perrin, taking her in his arms. "I'll not let him wed you. I'll find a way."  
  
Chastity nodded, still curled up in her best friend's arms. She looked up at him. "Thou art the only man on this earth I trust."  
  
"And you are the only woman I trust."  
  
"If only you were of more noble blood," Chastity murmured. "I'd marry you."  
  
Perrin chuckled. "You would be tired of me in but a week, sweet Chastity. Thou would throw me out like an old, worn-out gown."  
  
"I -" Chastity started to retort, but stopped at the sound of something in the corridor. "Quick! Hide, you shouldn't be here!"  
  
Perrin nodded, and dove under the bed. Chastity moved the hangings so they covered him, and went back to her place by the fire. "Come in," she called after a knock sounded.  
  
The door opened, and her father and his wife entered. Chastity was very close to her father's wife, which was rather ironic. She barely knew her father, who was too busy governing Britain to pay her any mind. That is, too busy to pay her any mind unless it concerned marriage. She knew out of all his children she was luckiest, however. She was kept at the court, unlike her brother James Scott or the others.  
  
"My daughter, you left the feast early," said Charles, as Chastity made a deep curtsy. "What upset you so?"  
  
"You know what upset her!" Catherine exploded. "Any young girl who learns that she is to marry someone she knows not and loves not is bound to be upset!"  
  
Charles looked at his wife angrily, but before he could say anything, Chastity spoke. "My lord father and king, my lady queen is right. I know not Sir William, nor love him, nor do I wish to marry him. When I marry someone, I want to marry an Englishman whom I know, who loves me and I love him."  
  
"You will marry Sir William!" shouted Charles, not at all looking like the "merry monarch" he was made out to be. "I tire of your opinions! Both of you!"  
  
"I won't! I'll kill myself before I shall marry that ignorant prat! I've heard Catherine talk about him. He's Catholic, too!"  
  
There was a loud crack that rang through the air as Charles' hand connected with Chastity's jaw. The girl clutched the right side of her face, silent tears welling up in her eyes.  
  
"There," said Charles, his voice steely. "I hope that convinces you. You will be marrying Sir William in three weeks time. Get thee a bridal veil." Charles turned on his heel and walked out. Catherine, her mouth moving silently, gave a look to Chastity and then followed her husband out. The door closed, and a lock clicked. She'd been locked in.  
  
Perrin wriggled out from under the bed, letting forth numerous curses and profanities. "Sorry," he said at the shocked look on Chastity's face. "Here...let us do something about that bruise."  
  
"Really, it will be fine -" Chastity started, but Perrin cut her off.  
  
"You know 'tis not fine. Where is some water? Ahh, here..." He grasped a pitcher and poured cool, clean water into the washbasin. He dabbed a damp handkerchief onto the red and purple patch gently. "I could use a Healing Charm on it..."  
  
"No!" Chastity grasped his hand. "Father and Catherine can't know about our powers! If I go into the hall tomorrow without a bruise, they'll know something is not right!"  
  
"All right, all right," said Perrin, putting away the handkerchief. "Everyone shall know by that bruise alone all is not right."  
  
Chastity sighed, leaning against the bedpost, her cheek slowly purpling. "Nothing in this palace has ever been 'all right', Perrin." She paused, her eyes staring into space. "Nothing."  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Days passed. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, months into another season. And then the word came. Sir William's ship had been lost at sea. The crew had survived. Sir William had never been found. Chastity and Queen Catherine breathed a small sigh of relief while King Charles fumed. The two women knew it would not be long before a suitor knocked at the door again."  
  
~~~~~  
  
Chastity, after hearing the news and being made to wear the traditional black of mourning, went to Perrin's manor, a short walk from the palace.   
  
"I know it was you," she said quietly as they walked through Perrin's family's gardens. "I know it was you who sunk Sir William's ship."  
  
Perrin looked down. "I did not have another choice, milady. It was either lose him," he said, turning towards her, his arms encircling her slim waist, "Or lose you."  
  
"What dost thou mean?"  
  
"I mean that I love you, sweet Chastity," said Perrin, and he bent down and kissed her with a burning passion she'd never felt before. It was happiness, sheer bliss. Chastity was grateful for the high garden walls that prevented anyone else from seeing her pink cheeks. In all fourteen years of her life, she'd never felt so giddy.  
  
"And I love you," she answered Perrin after their lips parted. "And no matter what happens, I shall always love you."  
  
An old man tending to the gardens a few feet off stole away, his presence unknown.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"Shortly after their declaration of love, the king found another suitor, and this time Chastity took action. She ran away to an entirely magical settlement, named Hogsmeade. A ways away from Hogsmeade was a school named Hogwarts, which she then enrolled in and mastered her magical abilities. She and Perrin corresponded, even meeting a few times in the Forbidden Forest....  
  
"Chastity confided to Perrin that sometimes she felt like someone was watching her. She knew that before long, someone would find out who she really was. And the cost of someone knowing that information....would be much more than she and Perrin could bear."  
  
~~~~~  
  
A/N - Arrghhh!!!! Old English is crap so I quit even trying to write dialogue in it about two sentences into the story. :-) Don't kill me!  
School's out!!!! *rejoices* You have NO IDEA how glad I am school's out....the workload was beginning to get somewhat ridiculous. Good news for you, though! I will have a few weeks of this summer at home before I have to take up my duties as this year's flagline captain/student council treasurer/beta club historian/drama club historian and everything else. :-) More good news that none of you care about...one of my best friends is going to be drum major in our band!!! *dances around* oops. sorry.  
  
Thanks for reading!!! Review! Now! I want twenty reviews!!!!!! Please? *begs*  
  
.oOAliciaOo.  
Fanfiction writer...  
At your service! 


	4. The Legend...Part Two

The Legend of Chastity Lorna  
Chapter Four  
By Alicia Jennings  
~  
  
Dumbledore continued telling the saga. "Chastity graduated from Hogwarts at age seventeen, a top student, and a lady of virtue, kindness, and beauty. Perrin had continued his own private studies and had also become a great sorcerer.  
  
"Now came the next question...where would they go? What would they do? Chasity knew she was lucky. The king had sent legions of soldiers to find her; of course, none were successful. But she had a feeling she would lose her lucky streak quite soon.   
  
"Perrin's father, Lord Anthony Allen, had died, leaving his estate and title to Perrin. It was unwanted, but Perrin had to follow in the footsteps that had been made for him. All he really wanted to do was run away, and be with his true love, the Princess Chastity. But this was impossible, for reasons of his own, and of hers.  
  
"Ahh, yes. Now for Chastity's fate after life at Hogwarts..."  
  
~~~~~  
  
*It is the year 1683, three years after Chastity has graduated.*  
  
Chastity was weary. So weary. Lord Richard insisted on making her go to the rooms of his guests - soldiers on a quest of some sort - to "see to their needs". Chastity wasn't dumb. She knew what that meant. Sighing, she took her comb and brushed out her hair. As she washed her face in the washbasin, she caught her reflection. One would never guess now that she was royalty. Her hair was long and unkempt; her clothes ragged and patched. Her face was still pleasant-looking, but not touched with rouge or kohl. She, quite frankly, looked like a peasant. Of course, she thought, laughing mirthlessly to herself, that was kind of the point.   
  
After Hogwarts, she went into the countryside, looking for work. As she sought for lodging one night, she was taken by a group of men, one of them Lord Richard. After some gambling, it was decided that she would go to him. Of course, it didn't take him long to find her wand and who she really was. Her wand was taken along with her finer clothes, and she was made into some common wench.  
  
Chastity's eyes narrowed. He had some nerve. After all, she was a princess. Even if she didn't like the fact.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Perrin was also weary. He had traveled many miles, on horseback, alone, for three years now, leaving his estate and affairs to his staff. Ever since Chastity had gone missing....well, missing from him, anyway....he'd been searching for her. All total, Chastity had gone from the court for seven years now. The king and queen thought her dead.  
  
A sigh of relief escaped Perrin's lips. Ahead, he saw a dark castle, light coming from its' windows, soldiers at its' gates. He would have shelter tonight from the rain that was pelting him and his horse.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Chastity, as she was about to climb the staircase to the upper rooms, heard three sets of footsteps. She recognized two sets as the guardsmen; one was unfamiliar. Another guest. She sighed. More work for her...she had to prepare a room, and get food, and...  
  
"Girl! You there!" yelled a guard. "Get this man a bed."  
  
Chastity gave him a curtsy. "Yes, sir."  
  
The guard grabbed her wrist roughly. "And see to it that he gets everything he desires. We dinna want the lord angry with us, do we?"  
  
Chastity shied away from him. "No, sir."  
  
The guard pushed her away, making her lose her footing and fall to the stone floor. "Get on with thee."  
  
"I am so sorry," said the guest, helping her up. "I didna mean to be so much trouble, miss."  
  
Chastity's eyes grew wide at the kindness he showed. She gave him a deep curtsy. "There is no trouble, my lord. Shall I show you to your room, or would you like something to eat first?"  
  
"A meal would be nice," said the guest weakly.  
  
"This way, my lord," said Chastity, showing him to the dining hall, which was empty. "Please, be seated."  
  
As Chastity brought a plate of food to the stranger, she thought of all her other duties. "Please sir, could I leave you to eat for a moment while I take care of some other guests?"  
  
"Of course," said the stranger. "Thank you very much for the food."  
  
Chastity was overwhelmed once again by the kindness so much that she almost forgot to say "You're welcome." She curtsied quickly and practically ran out of the room. She climbed the stairs, wondering...did that man know she was nothing more but a slave of sorts?  
~~~~~  
  
The guest finished his meal quickly. He resolved to sit until the girl came back, but then decided against it when he fell asleep and woke up with his head in his empty soup bowl. Stumbling, he rose to his feet. His belongings had been taken somewhere. Looking around, he saw a staircase. He guessed the best place to start looking was there. As he climbed, he wondered...exactly how many goblets of wine did he drink? His head spun and his vision blurred. The last thing he saw before his head hit the stair was the girl's face....so familiar.....  
  
Chastity.  
  
~~~~~  
  
A/N - Sorry that the chapter's so short!!! I just thought that was a good place to end. It occurred to me after someone pointed it out to me in a review that the last chapter was really, really, really hard to read. It all made sense in my head, I swear!!! Hopefully this was a little easier on you guys' brains. It sure was mine. :-) THANKS for all the great reviews!!! *blows kisses* it made my day!!! Until next chapter!!  
  
-Alicia Marie 


	5. The Legend...Part Three

The Legend of Chastity Lorna  
Chapter Five  
By Alicia Jennings  
~  
  
"As you can probably already guess, that "stranger" was none other than Perrin Allen. Of course, Chastity had been gone for three years and didn't know this older, bearded, travel-weary soul..." Dumbledore continued.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Back in 1683, at Lord Richard's manor:  
  
"My lord!" Chastity heard the horrible clunk of his raven-haired head hitting the stone staircase. "Oh...." She ran to him, turning him over. There was a huge, bloody gash on the side of his head. "Arthur! Please, do come quickly!"  
  
Arthur, another servant, ran to her. "Whatever happened?"  
  
"He hath injured his head," said Chastity. "I shall need assistance in getting him to his room. You carry him by his legs; I'll carry him by his arms."  
  
It was highly akward. Chastity, a mere slip of a girl, had much strength in her small bones, but carrying a well-sized man up a flight of stairs is no easy feat. After a half hour of labor, Chastity and Arthur managed to get him into bed.  
  
"Thank you Arthur," said Chastity, gasping for breath. "I shall be fine from here." Arthur nodded and exited the room. Chastity looked at the man, trying to decide what to do. She started by removing his heavy riding boots and the knife on his belt. Then tenderly, as a mother would do, she took a damp cloth and washed the wound on his head. He'd taken quite a nasty fall. As she prepared the stranger for bed, she caught sight of his hands. They were not the hands of a soldier, although they were calloused. They were the hands of a nobleman. The callouses weren't from a sword or musket, they were from horse reins. When her work was done, she took one of the many pillows from the bed and lay down on the floor beside him, beginning her night-long vigil.  
  
~~~~~  
  
When Perrin stirred, the first thing he was aware of was the pounding ache in his head. It felt as though someone was pounding an axe into his head over....and over...and over....he groaned softly, and heard a stir.  
  
"Oh, thank heavens, you are awake. How dost thou feel?"  
  
"Not well," he answered groggily. "What happened? Where am I?"  
  
The girl chuckled softly. "My lord, thou art in Lord Richard's manor, where you stopped to seek lodging. You took a rather nasty fall on the stair."  
  
Perrin groaned. "Wouldst thou hand me my bag?" The girl looked puzzled but handed it to him nonetheless. He dug through it, muttering curses and throwing shirts and pants every whichway. Finally, he breathed a sigh of relief, drawing forth his wand. "Now, be quiet about this, will you?"  
  
The girls' eyes were wide, but she nodded. Perrin pointed the wand at his injury and muttered a spell. It healed instantly. "Ahh, that is better," he said, settling back on the pillows.  
  
The girl was stuttering. "Ahh...w-well....that's b-better." She unnecessarily smoothed her skirt. "W-would you like some water?"  
  
"That would be nice," said Perrin, grinning at her obviously flustered state.  
  
As the girl bustled about, filling his goblet with water, he tried to remember what he'd been thinking about before he blacked out. "I know it was something important..." he thought wistfully. He had seen a face...the girl's. But whatever was so important about her? She was just a common house maid. She'd probably never been off the manor grounds in her life.  
  
"Here is your water, my lord," said the girl. Perrin took the goblet, but it trembled in his hand. "Perhaps I should help you..." She covered his hand with hers, moving the cup to his parched lips.  
  
Perrin marveled at her touch. So gentle, so kind....yet it sent tingling warmth all through his being. The last time a woman had made him react like that was when he was with Chastity in the garden....he wished he could drink of the cool water forever just so she would keep her hand upon his, but he couldn't do without breath that long. "Thank you."  
  
"You are welcome, my lord." She set the goblet on the crudely made table beside the bed. "Is there anything else I can do for thee?" she asked, leaning over him to brush his bangs out of his face.  
  
Perrin didn't know what made him do it. If it was just lustful passions, or the work of some higher being. But at that moment, he pulled the girl down to him and kissed her senseless.  
  
"Stay with me," he whispered. "Please. Just stay with me the rest of the night."  
  
And she did.  
~~~~~  
  
The morning came early for Chastity. The first thing she noticed is that somehow, her dress, shift, shoes, and stockings were on the floor. The second thing she noticed is that she was not alone in this strange bed.  
  
The guest turned over to face her. "Good morning."  
  
Chastity blushed a deep, deep crimson. "Good morning, my lord." She slipped out of the bed, going over to the window that looked out over the gardens. He followed her.  
  
"There is something I wished to discuss with thee," said the stranger.   
  
"Yes, my lord?" Chastity turned to him, feeling a bit akward.  
  
"Well...last night...I had a few goblets of wine before ascending the stairs," he said. "And before I fell, there was only one thing I saw."  
  
"Yes, my lord?"   
"Your face. I dinna know why, but I did."   
  
Chastity said nothing, simply looking out on the gardens.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Perrin stared at this slip of a girl before him. He had to remember. He had to.  
  
Her beauty stunned him, especially when she stood in front of the window. For some reason, seeing her face and the gardens just seemed fitting...but why? Why? He wanted to scream, to punch a wall, to hit something. But at the same time he wanted to take her in his arms, kiss her, and caress her. Why???  
  
He wrung his hands. He had to find out. He had the feeling that whatever he thought was very important. But he just couldn't take his eyes off of her face.  
  
Her face...  
  
The gardens...  
  
Her face...  
  
The gardens....  
  
He was drawn back into a memory of when he was a teenager, when he'd held another girl, when he'd seen her face and the gardens.  
  
Her face...  
  
The gardens...   
"Chastity!" he gasped out. The girl turned, her eyes lighting up.  
  
"Thou knowest my name!" she gasped. "But....how?"  
  
"Because, Chastity," said Perrin, "It is I, Perrin." Perrin took in the sight of her unclothed body. "Ahh, God, what have I done??"  
  
~~~~~  
  
A/N -   
  
Argh! It's short again!!! Sorry about that. These ideas come in short bursts. Bear with me!!!!   
  
I'd like to give a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to EVERYONE who has reviewed! They've all been really supportive for me!! *Hugs and kisses!!!*  
  
Next chapter....POSSIBLY a little more Harry and Hermione and a little less of the legend. But I don't know yet. This is a living story, as I call it: I have a rough plotline, but nothing detailed. I'm writing from chapter to chapter so to speak.  
  
In answer to some reviews...I have to be pretty cryptic about some of these answers. :0) Okay...question number ONE: Are Perrin Allen and Chastity Lorna real? Well, I really can't answer this one, it's something you'll find out later. TWO: Is there EVER gonna be some freakin' EVIL?!?!?! Oh yes. There will be evil. And it will be from someone you least expect...it just kinda comes outta nowhere and BOOM! Major mega evil! BWAHAHA!!!! Er...yeah.  
  
Love, Chastity Lorna  
  
Oh! Crap! Been writing too long!  
  
Love, Alicia Marie~* 


	6. The Legend...Part Four

The Legend of Chastity Lorna  
Chapter Six  
By Alicia Jennings  
~  
  
Dumbledore rose from his chair. The clock on the desk read 1:00AM. Harry and Hermione were still wide awake, however, their eyes wide at the story Dumbledore was unfolding. Harry's arm was around Hermione's shoulders, and she was curled up beside him. He walked to the window, surveying the moonlit grounds.  
  
"Professor?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Yes, Miss Granger?" He turned to face them.  
  
"What happened to Chastity and Perrin next?"  
  
"Well, Perrin felt mighty ashamed of his actions. He hadn't wanted to taint Chastity or hurt her. Chastity was a little shaken after discovering Perrin's true identity, but told him that she'd been forced into actions such as the ones they'd partaken in many times before. Lord Richard was not a man of morals. Neither was the man he worked for, James Scott, who was an illegitimate son of the king - Chastity's half-brother. He envied Chastity, and wanted more than anything to hurt her."  
  
"Did Perrin take Chastity away from the manor?" asked Harry.  
  
"Well, of course. What, did you expect the man to leave his beloved to the dogs? I think not. Yes, Perrin paid a small fee to Lord Richard and then took Chastity far, far away from that wretched place. They went to a small chapel, and after arguing with the priest for several hours, convinced him to marry them. After that, Chastity and Perrin had to decide what to do. They could remain drifters, or Perrin could return to his manor and Chastity could return to the King to ask his forgiveness for running away. They opted for the latter..."  
  
~~~~~  
Back to 1693, and to Chastity and Perrin  
  
"Oh, I am so tired," said Chastity. She was riding on the same horse as her husband. He sat behind her, one arm around her waist, one arm occupied with the reins.  
  
"We shall be there soon, my beloved," Perrin whispered the last two words in her ear. "You can see the city from here."  
  
"I wonder how we shall be received," Chastity mused. "We have so much to tell."  
  
"Yes, indeed," said Perrin.  
  
"Perrin?"  
  
"Yes, my dear lady?"  
  
"I have something to tell you. It's.....rather important."  
  
Perrin looked at his wife. "It is? Well, come then, do tell."  
  
"Dost thou remember our last night at Lord Richard's?"  
  
Perrin's face clouded. "Yes. I remember - and I still ask for forgiveness."  
  
"Oh, for God's sake, let it go," snapped Chastity. "I have told you this over and over. That was my job. Whether thou dost like it or no, that was my job."  
  
"I don't care," said Perrin stubbornly. "It was still wrong of me to take advantage of you."  
  
"Anyways," Chastity said, before Perrin could continue, "I had something to tell you."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Perrin, I think...I know....that I'm pregnant."  
  
~~~~~  
  
Perrin's head swam as he tried to comprehend what his wife had just said. It couldn't be. He couldn't have heard correctly. This had to be a dream.  
  
"Art thou not happy?" asked Chastity.  
  
Perrin tried to form words, but it took him a few minutes. "I...I do not know what to think."  
  
"Perhaps we should stop so you could gather your wits..." Chastity started, but Perrin cut her off.  
  
"Chastity, are you happy about this child?"  
  
Chastity's eyes shone, and she placed his hand on her still small abdomen. "More happy than you could ever, ever know."  
  
Perrin let out a whoop of joy. "When?" he asked through his wide grin.  
  
Chastity's smile mirrored his. "At my best estimates, around the last week of February."  
  
"That's grand," he said, enveloping her in a hug. "We've only a few more miles to London. We shall be there before nightfall."  
  
"Good," said Chastity, leaning back against him. "I'm very tired." The late September autumn air blew leaves across the path of their horse as they closed the distance between them and destiny.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Harry and Hermione sat, captivated at this tale of love. Dumbledore chuckled. Little did they know, little did they know.  
  
"When they were back in London, Chastity didn't go to the king immediately. She and Perrin went to the Allen manor. They recovered from their long journey and Perrin had some finer clothes made for Chastity, much to her displeasure. But she couldn't return to the king a pauper.  
  
"On October 31...Halloween...Chastity and Perrin made the long-dreaded journey to the castle."  
  
~~~~~  
(A/N - just a warning - i have no idea what Buckingham Palace looks like on the inside. So if I do something absolutely horrid, I apologize ahead of time!)  
1693  
  
Chastity's lip quivered as the heavy wooden doors, ornate with gold inlays, opened to the throne room. She grasped Perrin's hand tighter.  
  
"Your Majesty," said Chastity, making a grand curtsy. It was obvious she had lived a high life just through that action.  
  
"Your Majesty," said Perrin, making a large, sweeping bow. "It is I, Lord Perrin Allen. I have returned victorious from your quest to find your daughter. This is the Princess Chastity Lorna."  
  
Queen Catherine let out a small sob after a few moments of complete and utter silence. "Chastity...oh, my dearest..." Catherine ran from her throne at her husband's side and embraced her daughter. "Oh, I have missed you so."  
  
"And I you," said Chastity, her tears flowing freely.  
  
Perrin, standing aside from the mother and daughter, was witnessing two scenes. He was witnessing a wonderful reunion. But he was also watching a power-hungry man who had let something slip out of his control become angry.  
  
"Where have you been?" he fairly roared.  
  
Chastity turned to her father. "Many places, my lord king. I have been a princess at times, I've been a student, I've been a teacher....I've been a slave. But now I am something better."  
  
"And what, pray tell, is that?"  
  
"I am a wife and a mother-to-be, Father."  
  
The veins on Charles' neck stood out so much, Perrin wondered if they would burst. "A wife, eh? A mother? Who is this bastard who has wedded and bedded you?"  
  
"I have, my lord," said Perrin boldly. "I, who hast loved Chastity from childhood. I, who searched the entire land for three years to find her. We love each other, and love our unborn child."  
  
"Well, isn't that nice," sneered Charles. "My daughter, gone for seven long years, leaving her parents to worry and wait, and then when returns has married one of my subjects WITHOUT MY CONSENT!" The goblet Charles was drinking from went sailing across the room. "While you're at it, why not tell me everything you haven't told me! Come, is there anything else you'd like to share?!"  
  
"YES!" shouted Chastity. "My lord and king, I am a witch! That, and your trying to marry me off, is why I ran away in the first place!"  
  
"Oh no," moaned Perrin. "You've really done it this time."  
  
Chastity ignored Perrin. "Yes! I am a witch! Look! I even have a wand! And I can use it!" She pointed to the goblet on the floor, still intact by some miracle. "Serratus!" The goblet shattered into a million tiny pieces. She turned toward her father, a fiery blaze in her eyes. "Let that be a lesson to you!"  
  
~~~~~  
  
"That's never a good thing to say to a king," said Harry.  
  
Dumbledore chuckled. "No, generally not. Naturally, Charles sent for the guards and had them both thrown in a dungeon as they awaited sentencing."  
  
"Sentencing?" Hermione asked faintly.  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "It was the time of persecution for our kind. The newlyweds stood before Parliament and received their sentence - they were to spend the rest of their lives in a remote forest in northern Scotland. Chastity would not receive the throne. Perrin's estate and title would go to his younger sister, who would become Lady Elizabeth Allen. She married another nobleman, and had many children. Eventually, a portion of their descendants would become the Potters."  
  
Harry's jaw dropped. Dumbledore continued. "Anyways, on with Perrin and Chastity...their names were erased from books, records....even conversation. Everyone was banned to speak of her. Eventually, through the years, the Muggles forgot about Chastity Lorna and Perrin Allen. But the Magic community didn't..."  
  
~~~~~  
1693  
  
Chastity shivered. Snow covered the ground, the trees, their meager shelter....everything. She used to love watching the snow fall from her palace window, or from her window at Hogwarts. Now, it was her enemy. The snow chilled them and prevented them from finding food.  
  
As she stood, her head spun. She did not feel well. Her head pounded, and her skin felt clammy. Perrin noticed her discomfort.  
  
"Chastity? Are you well?"  
  
A pain ripped through her abdomen, making her feel like she was trying to be torn in two. "Oh dear God..."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"The baby," Chastity moaned. "The baby. It's so early. It's barely past Christmas."  
  
Perrin offered up a small prayer. "Come. Let's get you back to the shelter." It wasn't much - pine boughs with blankets underneath it. "Don't worry. I'm here for you."  
  
"Oh, Perrin...." Her face was white. Deathly white. "I don't feel well."  
  
Perrin laid a hand on her forehead. She was warm. Much too warm. But what could he do? For hours he sat by Chastity, trying to help her, but to no avail.  
  
"I think -" Chastity finally gasped out, "The baby's coming." And she gave one last push.   
  
Perrin tied off the umbilical cord as Chastity had instructed hours earlier when she'd first gone into labor. The baby was small...much too small. A girl. Then Perrin noticed something.  
  
Chastity was bleeding. Blood seeped onto the snow, staining it crimson red. "No..." Perrin moaned.  
  
Chastity gave Perrin a smile. "Please, Perrin...let me see our baby."   
  
Perrin knew Chastity was dying. With the blood that flowed onto the snow flowed every ounce of life inside her. He choked back his tears, bundled the still, lifeless baby in his own cloak, and handed it to her.  
  
"It's a girl," he choked out. "A girl, Chastity."  
  
"Mmm," she murmured. "I think we should name her Catherine Anne. After my mother and your mother. Don't you think?"  
  
"Of course," said Perrin, gently stroking Chastity's hair.  
  
"Perrin?"  
  
"Yes, my love?"  
  
"I can hear the angels..."  
  
Perrin couldn't take it any longer. His tears flowed forth. "Please, please, Chastity...don't go."  
  
"I have to, Perrin." Chastity smiled on her husband. "Our baby needs me there. Our Catherine Anne needs her mother."  
  
"I know you have to, but I still don't want you to go," sobbed Perrin. "I need you too! I love you so much."  
  
"And I love you, Perrin," said Chastity softly, taking his hand. "And I always will. Into eternity."   
  
~~~~~  
  
"Those were Chastity's last words on this earth," said Dumbledore.   
  
~~~~~  
  
A/N -   
  
You think the legend's over, eh? Wrong! One more part! I actually cried while writing this. Pretty stupid, eh? I cried buckets of tears over fictional characters. Maybe it was PMS or something. I dunno. *sniff* Oh god....here we go again....  
  
-Alicia 


	7. Realization

The Legend of Chastity Lorna  
Chapter Seven  
By Alicia Jennings  
~  
  
Hermione was crying, a very unusual thing for her to do. But the story had been so real. Dumbledore handed her a tissue. "Here, Miss Granger.  
  
"Chastity Lorna and Perrin Allen faded from the memories of Muggles. Their names were not recorded in history, nor passed down in oral legend. But to the magical community...that was a different story. And it was all because of Catherine of Braganza, Charles' wife. You see, if Chastity had been put on the throne, she would have put an end to the witch hunts. But since she hadn't, they contiued, killing hundreds. Catherine went to an old sorcerer, one that Chastity had trained with - Nicholas Flamel. She had read in her daughter's diary about his experiments with mortality. After her begging and pleading with him, Nicholas performed a spell - a very complicated, powerful spell - that would allow the souls of Chastity Lorna and Perrin Allen to return in other bodies when they were needed most, and Chastity would be Queen over all the magical kingdom, and Perrin would be King beside her. Under their rule, the magical kingdom would find peace. Chastity and Perrin would not die such horrible deaths, and their baby would live. Catherine, unfortunately, had to sacrifice her life in order for this spell to work."  
  
"Four deaths," said Harry quietly. "And all for nothing...."  
  
"Ahh, Mr. Potter, but that is where you are wrong," said the old man, turning toward them. "For Catherine was smarter than most English queens. She had an 'intuition', I think she called it, that the magical world would need a savior to save them from something more powerful than an English king." He paused, gazing intently at Hermione. "And I believe that time has come."  
  
Hermione stared into the old man's eyes. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean, Miss Granger, that you are Chastity Lorna incarnate. Harry is the descendant of the Allen household - Perrin Allen, incarnate. You two are going to save the wizarding world from two evil powers - Lord Voldemort, and his servant Lucius Malfoy."  
  
Hermione's brilliant mind was working fast. "You mean....the man who owned me...that was Lucius Malfoy? But it didn't look like him....."  
  
"No, no," said Dumbledore. "Lucius oversees the entire slave trade. You see, I have known that there was some sort of underground operation going on, I just didn't know who, what, when, and where. But now, I do."  
  
"How do you know that we're Perrin and Chastity?" asked Harry, his expression doubtful.  
  
Dumbledore motioned for them to stand. "Come with me."  
  
~~~~~  
  
The castle was quiet at 4:00AM. Harry and Hermione, hands clasped tightly together, followed the headmaster to the third floor corridor, a hallway forbidden to them in their first year at Hogwarts due to Fluffy. He stopped in front of a large, golden-framed picture.   
  
A man with black hair and large blue-green eyes stared at a woman with long, thick brown hair and dark brown eyes. It was like looking into a mirror. Dumbledore spoke. "When a soul inherits a body, that body takes on some of that soul's physical characteristics."  
  
Hermione mouthed silently. This was too much, just too much. She, a princess? She, a queen? And more importantly....her marrying Harry?!?!?! Preposterous! But the painting didn't lie.   
  
"I...I-I think I need to lie down," said Hermione faintly. She weakly leaned on Harry's arm.  
  
"Professor, I think we need to go home," he said, steadying Hermione. "We will be in touch, most likely tomorrow."  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "May Your Majesties have a safe journey."  
  
~~~~~  
  
Harry wasn't sure how they made it back to his apartment, but somehow they did, for when he woke up the next morning Hermione was in his bed beside him. She stirred, and he stared into her beautiful, warm brown eyes.  
  
"Please tell me that you don't have any idea who Chastity Lorna is," Hermione whispered.  
  
Harry sighed. "Sorry, Hermione. But I know exactly who she is and what she's done and who she is now."  
  
"Harry, what are we gonna do?" she wailed. "I'm not a queen! For crying out LOUD, I'm Muggle-born!"  
  
"I know, I know," Harry soothed her, taking her in his arms. "It'll be okay. I'm not exactly a king, either."  
  
"Makes more sense for you to be," Hermione muttered. "You're Harry Potter."  
  
"So I've heard," said Harry amusedly. "Don't worry. We'll get through this together. After all, according to the legend...aren't we supposed to be married?"  
  
"Arrrghh!" Hermione buried her head in the bedsheets.  
  
"Wait a minute..." Harry said slowly. "According to the legend...you're supposed to be pregnant."  
  
Hermione's head popped out from under the covers. It was as white as the sheets she'd been hiding under. "Impossible. The Boss had us all take a potion each morning..it acts like the muggle birth control pill."  
  
"Yeah, but what if it was made wrong? Or what if it happened anyway? There's always freak cases."  
  
Hermione was starting to get panicky. "Harry, I can't have a baby!! I don't know how to take care of a kid! I -" Harry laid a finger across her lips.  
  
"Herm. Listen to me! It's going to be okay. I'm here for you. Dumbledore's here for you. Hell, once the wizarding community finds out you're Chastity Lorna, you'll have the entire wizarding world at your feet."  
  
"But what if they don't believe us?"  
  
Harry sat silent for a moment. "I'll bet that they're going to believe Dumbledore. After all, Dumbledore is one of the most powerful wizards in the world."  
  
They lay in silence for a few minutes. Then Hermione rose. She went to her suitcase and began rummaging around, tossing clothes every whichaway.  
  
"Hermione? What are you doing?"  
  
"Well," she said, reaching far into her suitcase, "There's only one way to find out if I'm pregnant or not." She drew forth a box, a Muggle pregnancy test. "He had us keep these on hand."  
  
"Isn't there some spell you can do to see if you are?"   
"I dunno," said Hermione. "If there is, I haven't heard of it. I never was much into the medical charms." She went into the bathroom.  
  
Harry, his heart pounding from nervousness, got up and went through the motions of getting dressed. As he was buttoning up his robes a few minutes later, Hermione came out of the bathroom.  
  
"Harry?" Hermione whispered.  
  
"Well?" Harry went over to Hermione, and put his arm around her.  
  
"We're going to have a baby." Hermione leaned her head against him. "It's true. I guess we really are Chastity and Perrin." She sniffled.  
  
"It's okay, Herm," Harry said, comforting her. "It'll be okay. No one knows yet, there's no pressure, and I'm here for you."  
  
"Okay...." She sniffled again. The doorbell rang. "You better go get that."  
  
"Will do. Why don't you lay down?" he suggested. As Hermione nodded, he left the room and walked to the front door. A woman stood on the front step. He didn't recognize her, but, thinking she might be lost, opened the door. "May I help you?"  
  
"Mr. Potter, is it true? Are you Perrin Allen?"  
  
"The savior of the magical world?"  
  
"And what of Miss Granger?"  
  
A dozen lightbulbs were flashing in Harry's face as he slammed the door shut and locked it. As he turned, Hermione was standing in the bedroom doorway. "No pressure, right?" she said bemusedly.  
  
"Er..." Harry looked sheepish. "Hey, we're fine as long as the Ministry doesn't call." And with that, there was another knock on the door. "I hate myself now."  
  
"Maybe I should throw on some robes," said Hermione, exiting into the bedroom as Harry unlocked the door.  
  
He looked into the faces of Cornelius Fudge, Albus Dumbledore, and Arthur Weasley. "Minister Fudge, Professor Dumbledore, Mr. Weasley. It's nice to see you. Come in." He ushered them away from the flashing cameras and reporters. "Pardon my language, but it's been hell this morning."  
  
Minister Fudge nodded. "No doubt, some Ministry official leaked information for money. Oh well, can't be helped. The important thing now is about you and Miss Granger, and the transfer of power to you."  
  
Much to Harry's great relief, Hermione came out of the bedroom, robed and her hair back in a messy bun. "Good morning," she said, dropping a tiny curtsy and joining Harry on the loveseat. "What have I missed?"  
  
"Ahh, Ms. - Ahh....Princess Hermione -" Fudge stuttered.  
  
"Oh dear," said Hermione, flustered. "Must you call me that?"  
  
"But anything else would be disrespectful," said Mr. Weasley. "The same goes for Prince Harry."  
  
The two young adults looked at each other, feeling as if they would be sick any moment. Too much pageantry! "Anyways," said Harry hurriedly, "You were saying, Mr. Fudge?"  
  
"Ah, yes," he said, fidgeting. "The transfer of power from the Ministry to you."  
  
"Wait a minute," said Hermione slowly. "I just thought we were symbols, more or less. Like Queen Elizabeth....a constitutional monarchy."  
  
"That's what we want it to be,"said Harry.  
  
Dumbledore spoke for the first time. "Minister, I see no reason why it cannot be as Harry and Hermione want it. After all, they will be the king and queen. Besides, it will make the transition much easier if there is hardly any transition at all."  
  
They debated for hours....and hours....and hours, until finally, Fudge agreed to constitutional monarchy. "But all decisions and problems will be run by you first," he said stubbornly.  
  
"That's fine," said Hermione. She and Harry looked at each other, grinning. Their first battle - won!  
  
  
  
____  
  
Hey everyone! If you're reading this, i'm on vacation right now, but I expect reviews 'cause they have an internet cafe where I"m going. REVIEW NOW!!!!!  
  
-Alicia 


	8. Of A Tea Canister, A Weasley, A Fudge, a...

The Legend of Chastity Lorna  
Chapter Eight  
By Alicia Jennings  
~  
  
After the Ministry left, Harry looked around the kitchen for something to eat. His cupboards were bare, and he chided himself. He didn't want to go out in public after this big announcement. He told Hermione of the predicament.  
  
Hermione grinned. "We can go in disguise!" She dragged Harry into the bedroom, where she drew forth her wand. "Dietus!" she whispered to it, while pointing it at her curly blonde locks. Her hair immediately changed to a wavy dark brown. "Come here, Harry," she said, an evil grin on her face.   
  
"Uhh..." Harry stuttered, his hands over his messy black hair protectively. "Are you sure about this, Hermione?"  
  
"It's reversible, Harry," she said irritably, trying to move his hands. "Come on! Move your hands. The sooner you do, the sooner we have food."  
  
Harry sighed, moving his hands and squinching his eyes shut. "Okay, okay...go ahead..." Hermione whispered the spell. Harry's black mop became a vivid red.  
  
"I entitle this art, "Harry the Irishman," said Hermione, giggling. Harry moaned and ran to a mirror.  
  
"Hermione! You will pay!" Harry dove for her, and they both ended up tumbling onto the bed. Neither of them spoke, they just sort of grinned uncomfortably.  
  
Harry was the first to speak. "Interesting position, this is."   
  
Hermione, who was under him, grinned. "Indeed, Mr. Irishman."  
  
"You deserve to pay for that," Harry whispered in her ear.  
  
She raised her eyebrows. "Oh, I do?"  
  
"Yes, Ms. Granger," said Harry, his lips inches away from hers. "You've been a bad, bad girl."  
  
Needless to say...the groceries had to wait.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"Now I'm ravenous," groaned Harry after their make-out session.  
  
"Well, all the grocery stores are closed by now," said Hermione, lying in his arms. "You might have to wait 'till morning."  
  
"No way," said Harry firmly. "I know a little all-night cafe'...we can go there. It's dark, uncrowded...and with this hair, no one should recognize me if I keep my scar covered."  
  
Hermione stifled a giggle as she slipped out of bed to freshen up.  
  
~~~~~  
  
The "uncrowded" cafe', as Harry had put it, turned out to be very crowded with drunken wizards and witches. "Over here," he yelled to Hermione over the din. They seated themselves in a corner booth, away from most of the din.  
  
A waitress immediately came. "Ahh, what a glorious, glorious day! What can I get you?"  
  
"A couple of sodas, couple of Italian sandwiches, and a Daily Prophet," said Harry.  
  
"Comin' right up, in the Queen's name!" The waitress hurried away.  
  
Hermione continued staring after her. "Wow," she said, in disbelief. "I guess everyone knows."  
  
Harry nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. Everyone knows that thou art our beloved Queen, may you live forever in the light -"  
  
"Harry!" Hermione whispered urgently as the waitress neared again with their orders.   
  
"Here you are! Enjoy! Of course you'll enjoy, what's not to enjoy today?!" And as quickly as she came, the waitress was gone again.  
  
As they ate their sandwiches (Hermione was embarassed about how ravenous Harry was, she thought it was probably blatantly obvious that they'd had a little fun before coming), they looked at the Daily Prophet. The front page had a huge picture of the painting in the third floor corridor, and a huge picture of them. The headline - "QUEEN HERMIONE AND KING HARRY"  
  
"Aren't too terribly creative, are they?" Hermione said lightly, folding up the paper and tucking it in her purse. "Wow. I guess everyone knows......and believes."  
  
As Harry was about to reply, there was a commotion in the booth next to them.  
  
"Blimey! It's Ron Weasley! The new King's best friend!"  
  
"Ron! It's Ron!"   
  
A man with red hair (just as red as Harry's) climbed up on the table, a boyish grin on his face. "To my two best friends, who are now our beloved Queen and King!"  
  
As Hermione and Harry's mouths hung open, the crowd yelled "Hear, hear!" and drank in their honor. They still sat unnoticed.  
  
"Oh, good grief," said Hermione. "I've got to do something." She climbed on top of her chair. "Mr. Weasley!" she yelled in a girlish voice. "Oh, please, Mr. Weasley, might you give me your autograph?"  
  
Ron looked embarrassed, but said, "Sure...I guess......." He climbed off his chair and came to their table, where Hermione waited with a pen and the copy of the Daily Prophet. "Now, Miss, whom do I address this to?"  
  
"Well," said Hermione, with her eyes twinkling, "I'd appreciate it if you'd address it to Hermione Granger."  
  
There was a loud 'clunk!' as Ron's tankard hit the floor. "Shh, you big oaf!" Harry said hurriedly. Ron stared at him. Harry sighed, and moved his bangs for a moment. "Do you believe us?"  
  
"Of course I do," said Ron hoarsely. "I just can't believe I'm seeing Hermione again. And as a queen!"  
  
"Keep your voice down!" said Hermione urgently. "Come on. Let's all go back to Harry's apartment."  
  
Harry left ample money on the table, and then the three snuck out the back door. Ron enveloped Hermione in a hug.  
  
"Hermione, it's so great to see you again...where have you been?"  
  
"I'll answer that back at the apartment," said Hermione. "It's a rather long story. Wouldn't you agree, Harry?"  
  
Harry nodded. "Took centuries to unfold," he added. "And I still don't get some of it," he added, almost as an afterthought.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Back at the apartment, Harry and Hermione did the most logical thing. They sat Ron down in a chair, they took the couch, and they started from the beginning. Ron, being brought up in a wizarding household, heard tales from the time he was a baby about how Perrin and Chastity were going to come back and put an end to all the evil in the magical kingdom. So, that was one part they got to skip. But they had to tell Ron of how they met.  
  
"Okay," said Harry. "No matter what, Ron, you're still our best friend, right?"   
"Well, of course," said Ron, frowning. "Why wouldn't I be?"  
  
"I dunno, but I was just making sure," said Harry quickly. "Okay. Well, it was a few nights ago. I was feeling pretty down and sorry for myself, so I decided to go to a pub in the alley that adjoins this one. I'd never been in it before, but...."  
  
"Go on."  
  
"Well, I sat down, and ordered me a scotch. I was pretty far into my second or third one when these girls came out. Needless to say, I'd wandered into a gentleman's club, and I was a man who had money on him and was drunker than all hell. You know I can't hold my liquor."  
  
"Go on..." Ron was looking curious.  
  
"Well, I ended up in one of the girls' bedrooms, having the time of my life. We fell asleep, and when we woke up, we were about to get right back to it when I noticed something. Something odd."  
  
"Ah, don'tcha hate that when you're right in the middle of a good -" He stopped at the look on Hermione's face. "Er....go on, Harry."  
  
"Well, it was a scar on the left side of her chest. A scar like mine."  
  
Ron's mouth dropped.  
  
"Well, I told her who I was, and her face looked about like yours. I already knew who she was by that scar. Her face had been reminding me of someone, but I was so drunk I couldn't place facts with names."  
  
Ron still looked blank. "Oh, RON!" Hermione unbuttoned the top buttons on her robes. "Ron! Look here!" She pointed to a scar. "Put two and two together, and you will eventually get four."  
  
"You two SLEPT TOGETHER?!" Ron screeched.  
  
Harry and Hermione looked at each other. "Yes," they said, a bit guiltily.  
  
"It was my fault," said Hermione.  
  
"No, I was drunk, and -"  
  
"No, I was trying to make money, and -"  
  
"I was just being a hormonal guy -"  
  
"Shut up!" said Ron finally. "So, the realization hit that you were in bed with each other..."  
  
Harry and Hermione launched back into their tale, trying to leave out as many details as possible about their night at the bar, and filled Ron in up to the present.  
  
"Wow," said Ron after they were done. "That's all I can say. Wow."  
  
"We could be a really good fantasy story," said Hermione, grinning, as she went to the kitchen to make some tea.   
  
"So, how do you feel about the baby?" asked Ron, grinning.  
  
Harry groaned.  
  
"Harry!" Hermione came out of the kitchen, holding an empty tea canister. "Do you have anything around here?"  
  
"Hermione, my dear," said Harry, rising from the couch to wrap his arms around her, "I've been a bachelor the entire time you were gone. Of course I don't have anything of importance around here."  
  
~~~~~  
  
Morning came early for Harry and Hermione. Ron had gone home at one, and they hadn't made it to bed until two. At five a.m., an owl began tapping at their bedroom window.  
  
"Ohhh....." Hermione groaned. "Harry? Would you get it?"  
  
"Mrrumphgrrrdeferrgen." Harry rolled out of bed, and untied the message from the owl's leg. "It's from Fudge. We're to go to the Ministry today. They want our coronation to be tomorrow."  
  
"Tomorrow?!?!" Hermione was most definitely awake now. "Oh, Harry. Our last day as a prince and princess. Tomorrow, we'll be king and queen."  
  
Harry sighed, collapsing back onto the bed. "I don't quite believe all of it yet." He scanned over the letter again. "Uhhh.....whoa."  
  
"What?" Hermione leaned over his shoulder to get a better look. "What is it?"  
  
Harry sighed. "We're to be married tomorrow, too, at the coronation ceremony."  
  
Hermione was quiet for a few moments, then she finally spoke. "Well. It was coming sooner or later, Harry."  
  
"Yeah, but I wanted to propose to you. I wanted us to have things we wanted them. Not the way that the Ministry wants them." Harry sighed, tossing the letter on the bedside table. "This relationship started out all wrong, and I just wanted to find some way to make it up to you."  
  
Hermione smiled at him gently. "Harry," she said softly, "You've made it up to me several times over by being so kind to me. And it didn't start out wrong. You couldn't help how it started, and neither could I. You freed me from the hands of Voldemort's henchmen. How much better could a beginning be?"  
  
"Hermione, if I say something to you, do you promise not to be wierded out?"  
  
Hermione crossed her heart. "I promise, Harry."  
  
"I love you, Hermione. I loved you when we graduated, I was just too scared to tell you. After you went missing, I promised myself that when I found you, I'd tell you how much I loved you. And now I have."  
  
Hermione's eyes were very moist. "I love you too, Harry. Thinking about you kept me from going crazy when Voldemort had me. Thinking about you helped me survive the brothel. Whenever I felt weak, I'd think of you, and my strength would return."  
  
They kissed, and then they lay in bed, in each other's arms, for a while.  
  
~~~~~  
  
When Harry and Hermione entered the Ministry building, it was bustling with activity. Harry's hair was back to black, but Hermione had decided to keep her hair brown. "It's my natural color, anyway," she had said.  
  
"What's with all the activity?" Harry wondered, seeing people rushing around like mad.  
  
"Oh, I dunno, maybe it's because we're getting married and crowned tomorrow," Hermione said sarcastically. "C'mon, let's go see Fudge."  
  
As they made their way to Fudge's office, they kept their heads down, hoping for no one to recognize them. And no one did...until they reached Fudge's receptionist.  
  
"Names, please?" she asked. Harry and Hermione collectively groaned.  
  
"Harry Potter and Hermione Granger," Hermione mumbled.  
  
"What's that?" The receptionist leaned forward.  
  
"Harry Potter," said Harry, "And Hermione Granger."  
  
The receptionist's eyes were the size of dinner plates. "Shh-hh!" Hermione whispered urgently. "May we see the Minister?"  
  
"Of course, Your Majesties, I mean, he would be honored," the receptionist stuttered.  
  
Harry and Hermione looked at each other. This was so wierd.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"...it's just that we would like to have some input on how our wedding's going to be."  
  
"Of course, Your Majesties. You can talk with the decorators and the fashion coordinator, they're right outside -"  
  
"No," said Harry firmly. "We don't want our wedding to be tomorrow. We want some time - maybe a week or a couple of weeks - to plan."  
  
"Preposterous!" Fudge sputtered. "You're to be married right after you're crowned! This is unheard of."  
  
"It's our wedding," said Hermione, her eyes filled with sparks of anger. "And we'll have it the way we want it, when we want it. Our coronation is enough...we don't want to deal with a wedding on the same day."  
  
As they walked out of Fudge's office, they tallied up the score. Monarchy: two. Ministry: zero.  
  
~~~~~  
  
The day passed all too quickly for Harry and Hermione. They wandered around Diagon Alley, knowing that this would be the last time they'd be able to visit the place unescorted. They enjoyed the Quidditch supply store, Flourish and Blotts, and finally, Florean Fortescue's ice cream place.  
  
"Well," said Hermione, crawling into bed beside Harry, "It's our last night in your apartment."  
  
Harry rolled over on his side to face her. "Is that a suggestion?"  
  
"No, a mere observation," Hermione teased him.  
  
"Can I take it as a suggestion?"  
  
Hermione shrugged. "I guess. I'm yours to do with as you please, remember?"  
  
"Do I ever," said Harry, leaning in to kiss her. She responded, just as passionate as he. Harry's hands shook slightly as he unbuttoned her pajama top.  
  
"Hermione," he said, breathless, after breaking the kiss, "I want to know, right now, before we get any further. Do you want this? I don't want to force you into anything, or make you feel uncomfortable. I love you, and I'd never want to hurt you."  
  
Hermione looked him in the eyes. Those beautiful green eyes, like two bright emeralds. "I want this, Harry. I love you, and I want this just as much as you do."  
  
Then it was not a time for words.  
  
~~~~~  
  
On the day of their coronation, the alarm buzzed much too early - five o' clock. Harry hit the confounded thing with his fist so hard, it was a wonder to Hermione that it didn't break.  
  
"Oh, are we tired, Mr. Potter?" She teased him.  
  
"Hrrumph," Harry grumbled. "I've woken up early two days in a row. I wonder if kings have to wake up early."  
  
"Points to ponder," said Hermione lightly. They lapsed into thoughtful silence for a few minutes.   
  
"Penny for your thoughts," said Harry, taking her hand in his and kissing it gently.  
  
Hermione sighed. "Are you quite sure that you want to know?" Harry nodded, and Hermione sighed again. "I was thinking about my first time, and feeling incredibly sorry for that poor man."  
  
Harry raised his eyebrows. "Care to explain?"  
  
Hermione laughed softly. "It was my second day at the brothel. I hadn't made enough money dancing the night before, so The Boss said I had to take someone to bed. I was terrified, of course, being a virgin, and a sheltered one at that. So, I picked up one of the kinder-looking-not-so-drunk men and took him back to my room."  
  
"I have a feeling there's more to this story," said Harry.  
  
"There is," said Hermione, laughing again. "I got him back there, sat him down, and told him bluntly that I was a virgin, this was my second day on the job, I was terrified, and I wanted him to teach me how to have sex."  
  
Harry laughed out loud.   
  
"I didn't feel too courageous at the time. He laughed a little too, and then took me over to the bed. He explained what he was going to do next at every moment, which, at times, scared me even more. He was gentle, thank God, or I don't think I could've..." She paused. "I'm sorry Harry. I shouldn't have thought of that. You're probably angry with me now."  
  
"No, Hermione. I don't think I could ever be angry with you," he said, kissing her hand again. "But I have to ask. Why'd you think of him?"  
  
Hermione thought how to put her words for a moment. "Because you're even more gentle than he was. And I never thought that was possible."  
  
"My dear, sweet little Hermione." Harry ran his thumb along her jawline, cupping her chin in his hand. "I promise. I will never, ever hurt you. And I will never let another person hurt you either."  
  
~~~~~  
  
"Harry?" Hermione asked nervously, a few hours later.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I don't want to do this!" She was clothed in a full-skirted dress of green velvet, and was bedecked with tons of jewels, all with a history like none other. Harry too was clothed in green velvet.  
  
"It's a little late now, love," said Harry. He took her hand. "It'll be okay. We're here, together, and hey, we dragged Ron along for the ride!"  
  
Indeed, Ron was there with the two. "Remind me why I'm here again?" he groaned.  
  
Hermione grinned. "Because you're the newly officiated Minister. Fudge quit this morning, and so we appointed you."  
  
Ron looked as though he might be sick all over his red velvet robes. "What I want to know is, why did he quit?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "Something like he was having a nervous breakdown. The whole monarchy thing was too much for him."  
  
Ron groaned again.  
  
Hermione went starch white. "That's the processional music," she whispered. "Oh no. I can't exactly get out of this now."  
  
"That's destiny for you," said Harry, grinning as he took her right arm, and Ron took her left. The three best friends walked down the long path to the front of the large Great Hall at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where Albus Dumbledore stood, waiting to crown Harry and Hermione King and Queen of the wizarding community in Britain.  
  
"We have gathered here today to witness an event in the making since the 1600's," said Dumbledore. "The first princess of Britain who was a witch, Chastity Lorna Stuart, and her husband, Perrin Michael Allen, were killed by an angry King Charles after he discovered they were of magical blood. Their deaths were not in vain, however. Catherine, Charles' wife, sacrificed her life so that the souls of her daughter and son-in-law could come back when the wizarding world needed them the most. Since they never had the throne of Great Britain, they would have the throne of the wizarding kingdom." Dumbledore paused. "You are looking at the incarnate Perrin and Chastity, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Both are brave, intelligent, and would give everything, even their lives, to defend our world. They have appointed their best friend, Ron Weasley, also equally as brave and intelligent, to be our new Minister." Hermione looked at Ron out of the corner of her eye just in time to see him blush bright red.   
  
"Harry and Hermione deserve these crowns," said Dumbledore. "They have suffered greatly because of their bravery. Harry, as an infant, lost his parents to Voldemort. He has defeated the Dark Lord several times since, even if it meant bodily harm toward himself. Hermione, after graduating, was taken hostage by Voldemort, who was hoping to lure Harry to him. She was tortured mercilessly, and she was imprisoned for two and a half years in the same place Voldemort lived. He came to her every day, asking her to join him. She never gave in. After her parents were killed and she was finally freed, she was imprisoned once more by a brothel owner and made to degrade herself even more. Even at times when these two young people were in pain, they never gave in to the Dark Lord...instead, they fought even harder against him."   
  
Dumbledore let the applause from the crowd die down until he spoke again. "And Mr. Weasley is just as qualified for his job. He earned the Order of Merlin, Second Class, after his exploits on the frontlines at the Battle of Brundein. He also dueled against Voldemort, successfully thwarting an attack on Hogwarts." Ron looked satisfied with the applause after his bit, and Hermione and Harry had to stifle laughter.  
  
Dumbledore picked up a heavy crown. "This is the crown of the House of Allen, from which Harry is descended. This was the crown that Perrin was destined for." He smiled kindly at Harry. "Step forward and kneel on one knee, and stay there until I say," he said softly. Harry did as instructed. "I crown you, Harry James Potter, King of the Wizarding Kingdom of Britain." He took a ruby-encrusted sword and touched it to his shoulders, like a king knighting someone would do. Hermione noticed something....it was the sword of Godric Gryffindor.  
  
Dumbledore picked up a dainty tiara. "This was the crown of Princess Marianna, the last Princess of Atlantis and the first member of any type of monarchy to be of magical powers. Likewise, it is the first crown of the wizarding community." He then smiled at Hermione. "Please kneel as Harry did," he spoke, just to her. Hermione did so, and he placed the dainty teardrop tiara on her head. The stone that hung down on her forehead changed colors in the light. "I crown you, Hermione Anne-Elizabeth Granger, Queen of the Wizarding Kingdom of Britain." He too touched her shoulders with Gryffindor's sword.  
  
"Kneel, please, Ron," said Dumbledore. "Please raise your right hand." Ron did so. "Repeat after me."  
  
As Ron took the Minister's Oath, Harry and Hermione stole a glance at each other. Harry smiled at her, and mouthed a silent "I love you." Hermione mouthed it right back, smiling, a little nervously. Then she shifted her attention back to Ron as he said,  
  
"I solemnly swear to try and protect the wizarding world from evil, and I swear to work with the king and queen for the greater good." With that, he glanced over at his two best friends, who smiled back at him.  
  
"Please rise, Your Majesties, Minister." The three rose and faced the audience. "I present to you, King Harry, Queen Hermione, and Minister Ron Weasley."   
  
The recessional music began to play, and, the boys taking Hermione's arms, the three exited.  
  
Out in the hallway, the three were met by the Royal Auror Guard. "I just gave away my solitude in there," groaned Hermione.  
  
"What solitude?" Harry and Ron asked at once.  
  
Hermione brightened. "You're right." At that moment, hundreds of people came out of the Great Hall, wanting to meet the King, Queen, and Minister. Groaning, the three set to work shaking hands and giving thank-yous.  
  
~~~~~  
  
In the Albanian wilderness:  
  
Voldemort pointed his wand at the man. "What did you just say?" he hissed.   
  
"H-Harry P-Potter and H-H-Hermione G-Granger have been crowned king and queen of wizard Britain," said Peter Pettigrew, stuttering in fear. "Dumbledore says that they're Perrin Allen and Chastity Lorna incarnate."  
  
Voldemort let his grip on the neck of Pettigrew's robes loosen. A monarchy? And with that Potter boy as king? And that Mudblood as queen?  
  
~~~~~  
  
At Hogwarts (they've stayed the night)  
  
"Ouch!" said Harry, sitting straight up in bed.   
  
Hermione rolled over. "Whassamatter?" she asked, rubbing sleep away from her eyes.  
  
"My scar," he groaned, clutching his forehead in pain. "Voldemort."  
  
Hermione was instantly awake. "What about him?"  
  
"He knows that we've been crowned," said Harry, trying to get the burning sensation to go away. Hermione pressed a hand to his forehead, and yelped in pain as she drew her hand back.   
  
"It's oven-hot!" She nursed her burned hand. "Do we need to go see Dumbledore?"  
  
Harry nodded. "I think so." He still rubbed his forehead, careful not to actually touch his scar. He threw on a robe, and Hermione did the same. They stole out of the room quietly, as not to wake the two Royal Auror Guard members who were posted at the end of their hall. They were on their way to Dumbledore's office when they met Dumbledore himself.  
  
"Professor?" asked Harry, a little suprised to see the old man wandering around the castle. "My scar hurt."  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "Someone just owled me. Peter Pettigrew somehow got into the coronation ceremony. I figured he'd go tell Voldemort, so I was coming to ask you if your scar had hurt."  
  
"It burns," said Hermione bluntly, showing him the red mark on her hand. "It burned me." She looked so comical and childlike.  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "I'll contact the proper authorities. You'd better get back to your room before the Royal Guard discovers you're gone and has a panic attack."  
  
The two bade Dumbledore good night.  
  
~~~~~  
  
A/N -   
  
Gahhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!! This chapter has so much...STUFF happen in it! They sleep together. They love each other. They get crowned. Ron's appointed Minister. Voldemort shows up. Blegghhh....I shoulda spaced that out more. Oh well. Please, please, please review!   
  
Peace ~*~Alicia 


	9. The Wedding Dress And Much More

The Legend of Chastity Lorna  
Chapter Nine  
By Alicia Jennings  
~  
  
Hogwarts Castle was near empty, due to Christmas break. So there was no hurry in getting the King, Queen, and Minister to their homes again.   
  
The Royal Auror Guard were constantly running from one end of the castle to the other. The King and Queen were constantly trying to evade them, acting like teenagers, sliding down stairway railings, sneaking into secret passageways.  
  
"Your Majesties," said Edward, the head of the Auror Guard, "I implore you - beg of you - please don't get out of our sight!"  
  
Harry and Hermione had been discovered in a broom closet this time.  
  
"Can't we have even the slightest bit of privacy?" Harry implored.  
  
"Yes," said Edward, "In your bedroom and bathroom!"  
  
"I get tired of looking at the same walls," said Hermione. "Can't you designate another room that you can give us privacy in too?"  
  
Edward sighed. "All right, I'll give you another private spot. The broom closet we just found you in, Your Majesties!" He bowed, turned on his heel, and stomped off.  
  
"That's not entirely fair at all," said Hermione.  
  
"I guess we'll have to make out on the bathroom floor," said Harry, grinning.  
  
"Or amidst Magical Mess Remover." Hermione grinned back at her fiancee. "Either way, we're going to smell like Lysol."  
  
"Well," Harry said, putting his head very close to hers, and whispering in her ear, "We'll just have to take a shower afterwards, Your Majesty."  
  
"It's a deal," she whispered back. "Shall we seal it with a kiss?"  
  
The two RA guards rounded the corner in time to see the king and queen kissing.  
  
It wasn't exactly surprising, you know.  
  
~  
  
"Good morning, Your Majesties!" said Sirius brightly, plopping down on Harry's side of the bed. "Rise and shine!"  
  
He recieved no response. So, he lowered his head very close to theirs. "GOOD MORNING, YOUR MAJESTIES!"  
  
Harry jumped, and Hermione shrieked and pulled the covers up to her chin. "Who's there?" Harry asked, feeling around on the bedside table for his glasses.  
  
"Your personal assistant."  
  
"I didn't know we had one," said Hermione, pulling the covers up more.  
  
Sirius yanked the covers away, resulting in another shriek from Hermione, who was clad in nothing but a short, white, spagetti-strapped nightgown. "Just your friendly neighborhood soon-to-be-godfather-in-law," he said cheerfully. "Now that you two are sufficiently awake, I want you to be down in the Great Hall in twenty minutes so we can start planning your wedding."  
  
"But...Sirius..." Harry finally found his glasses, and put them on. "It's.....early."  
  
"It's half past seven. And I expect you in the Great Hall at ten minutes to eight." Sirius stood up. "Cheerio!"  
  
Harry continued to stare at the doorway. "He's mental."  
  
"I won't disagree," said Hermione, rising from the bed. "I call the shower!" She ran to the bathroom before Harry could catch her.  
  
"Can't we share?" he asked through the door.  
  
"No."  
  
"Please?"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Please, please, please, Herm?"  
  
There was a pause. "Oh, fine! But we're showering, not anything else! There's no time!" Hermione opened the door, and Harry stepped in.   
  
Hermione loved the shower in their bathroom. It was the size of a large walk-in closet, and was complete with a bench if you just wanted a good steam. And no matter where you were, whether it was at the back of the shower or at the front, you were always under the spray of water because it fell like rain from the ceiling.  
  
Hermione just stood under the hot water for a moment, then reached for the sponge that hung on a hook by the shower door. "Ahh....Harry? I thought there were two sponges."  
  
Harry shrugged. "I thought so to."  
  
Hermione sighed. "Well, you use this while I wash my hair." She put a liberal amount of shampoo in her palm and began washing her hair.  
  
"Hermione, you can relax, you know," said Harry.  
  
"We've got twenty minutes before we start planning our wedding. Of course I can relax!" she snapped, rinsing off the shampoo and reaching for the conditioner. As she put the conditioner in her hair, she felt Harry's hands on her shoulders, massaging her tense muscles gently.  
  
"Hermione, it's all right. Everything will be all right, trust me. Okay?" Hermione nodded. "All right, then. Just be calm, and we'll get through all this mess."  
  
~  
  
As Ron, Harry, and Hermione sat down to a breakfast of sweet rolls, boiled eggs, and strong coffee, Sirius drew forth a notebook.  
  
"All right, then, might as well get started." He himself took a long, generous sip of coffee. "What would you like your colors to be?"  
  
Harry and Hermione looked at each other blankly. Harry shrugged, his mouth full. Ron chuckled slightly.   
  
"Blush and bashful?" asked Hermione, grinning. At Harry and Sirius' blank look, she sighed. "You don't watch too many Muggle movies or plays, do you?"  
  
"No," said Harry and Sirius at the same time.  
  
Hermione shook her head. "How about a dark navy blue, a hunter green, maybe a little dark red since it's Christmastime, and silver and gold?"  
  
"That works," said Harry hurriedly.  
  
"Your dress, Hermione?" asked Sirius, scribbling down the colors.  
  
"I'm not wearing white," she said firmly.  
  
"Why not?" asked Harry.  
  
"Because," she said, taking a slow sip of coffee, "Everyone knows white is meant for virgins, and everyone and their mother-in-law knows I'm not one."  
  
Harry turned tomato red. Ron and Sirius coughed, and pretended not to notice.  
  
~~  
  
Details of the wedding fell into place over the next week at Hogwarts Castle. The only place big enough to have the wedding was the Great Hall, so it would be held there on Christmas Eve at three o' clock.  
  
"Hermione!" Sirius ran into their bedroom at seven o' clock in the morning two days before the wedding. "I've found - well, rather recieved - your dress."  
  
Hermione sat up, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "You did?"  
  
"Yeah! Be in the Transfiguration classroom in twenty minutes and they'll fit it to you. Harry's outfit is there too."  
  
Hermione jumped out of bed. Harry did as well. It looked like another double shower this morning.   
  
After showering, they practically ran down to the Transfiguration classroom to avoid being late. And they did avoid being late - by about a second. They burst through the door, startling the seamstress and her assistant.  
  
"Sorry," Hermione panted. "Bit of a late start." Her tiara, which Dumbledore had instructed her to wear everywhere, tumbled off her head and fell with a *clink!* to the floor. "Oh dear." She picked it up, polished it a bit on the sleeve of her robe, and put it back on.  
  
The seamstress and her assistant looked stunned, as if they'd never seen a lady act like her in all their life. "Well," said Harry, "We're here to try on our wedding attire...is it ready?"  
  
The question seemed to jar the seamstress to her senses. "Oh...of course...here, Your Majesy," she said, motioning Harry to a screen. "You can change in there." She now handed Hermione a wrapped package. "For you, Your Majesty. I believe, by looking at your measurements, it might fit perfectly."  
  
Hermione carefully unwrapped the package. Inside lay an ornate midnight-blue silk dress. It had a lacy, low-necked collar, long bell sleeves, and a huge flared-out skirt, all with lace accents. A silver sash went around the waist. Jewels were sewn into it in places - emeralds, rubies, diamonds. Also, with it, was a white veil, the crown of it midnight blue and hunter green. Matching blue soft slippers and gloves, along with a flouncy slip and white stockings, completed the ensemble.  
  
"A gift," said the seamstress.  
  
"But....from who?" As Hermione spoke, a card fluttered to the floor from the folds of the dress. She carefully broke the wax seal and read it. Her eyes widened.  
  
It was a gift from another queen. Queen Elizabeth II - if you wanted to be exact.  
  
Hermione, her hands unsteady, pulled on the lacy slip. Then the seamstress helped her pull the dress over her head and lace the stays. She put on the silky stockings, the soft slippers and the gloves, and the veil. The seamstress' eyes grew wide. "Oh, your Majesty, you look beautiful. Here, you must look in the mirror."  
  
Hermione shook her head. "No. Harry sees it first. I - I can't look."  
  
"But the groom's not supposed to see your dress until your wedding day, Your Majesty," said the seamstress, smiling. "By tradition."  
  
"We're not exactly a traditional marriage, madam," said Hermione, smiling back.  
  
Harry came out, and Hermione smiled nervously at him. He took one look at her and his mouth dropped. She thought he looked rather handsome. He was wearing robes of the same midnight blue, with gold accents. He had on blue slacks under the robes and a starched white shirt. He wore a thin gold mantle with sapphires and rubies on his shoulders, a sign of his kingship.  
  
"Hermione...you're...you're...straight out of the storybooks." Harry made his way over to her. "You're beautiful."  
  
"Is it safe for me to look in the mirror?" she whispered.  
  
"Yes," he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Never be afraid to look in the mirror, Hermione. Never be afraid to face yourself. You're always beautiful."  
  
Hermione took a deep breath and looked in the mirror. Harry was right. She looked like a queen out of the storybooks. The veil fit behind her tiara, so the teardrop stone that hung down on her forehead was visible. She noticed that it was a bluish color.  
  
"I - I don't think it needs any alterations," said Hermione, her voice faltering slightly. "Ah..Harry...what about your robes?"  
  
"I think they're quite nice," said Harry, looking in the mirror. "Fit me fine too."  
  
"Well, then, that's settled," said Hermione, sliding the gloves off her hands. "Thank you very much for your time, madam."  
  
"It was an honor," said the seamstress, curtsying. "Would you like to change here or in your rooms?"  
  
"Our rooms, I think," said Hermione. "That way we can hang them up immediately and they don't get too wrinkled."  
  
"An excellent idea, Your Majesty," said the seamstress. "I shall be here until your wedding, so if they do need altering, please don't hesitate to come see me."  
  
"Thank you very much," said Harry, taking Hermione's arm and leading her out.  
  
"Harry," Hermione whispered to him as RA guards joined them, "I don't think I've ever worn as fancy a dress in my life."  
  
"You look beautiful," he reassured her. "You do. You look just as beautiful in that as you did in that skimpy bikini the night we met again."  
  
"I'm a bit surprised to hear that from a male," said Hermione lightly. "This dress covers much more than that bikini."   
  
Harry and Hermione slept in different rooms the night before Christmas Eve, the night before their wedding. They wanted the time to themselves to ponder and pray.  
  
~~~  
  
"Is the mole in place?" hissed a voice.  
  
Wormtail, shaking in uncontrollable fear, nodded. "Y-yes, My Lord. He is there."  
  
Voldemort smiled cruelly. "Yes, yes...this will capture Potter once and for all...when you cannot attack the body, attack the heart."  
  
Thousands of miles away from the Albanian Forest, Harry Potter twisted and turned in his sleep, trying to awaken. He could not.  
  
~~~  
  
Hermione went to bed late. She tossed and turned most of the night, only procuring a few precious hours' sleep. She finally rose at five o'clock, unable to bear laying in bed any longer. She didn't want to eat breakfast due to nerves, but knew she should for the baby. She brushed her hair, threw on her robes, and tiptoed past the RA guard who was posted at the end of her hall, asleep and leaning against the wall.  
  
Hermione felt strange without her tiara on. Having to wear the tiara everywhere was strange enough, but Dumbledore had pretty much insisted on Harry and her having their crowns on at all times outside their rooms. She hadn't intentionally left it off, but now that it was off she felt...well, like a common witch again. It wasn't a bad feeling. She twisted her wand for a moment, wondering if she should Summon it. After a short debate, she pocketed her wand and continued to the kitchens.  
  
Hermione missed Hogwarts Castle. The mystique of the castle itself would make anyone miss it. But mostly she missed being a carefree, innocent child. When she was here, she felt protected from the outside world.  
  
But then Hermione thought for a moment. The castle, although quite secure, could not seal out the real world forever. Professor Quirrel had proved that, as well as the basilisk, Wormtail, and Barty Crouch, not to mention others. And it did not protect her forever, she thought, a little bitterly. She glanced down at her arms. Although faint, they bore scars of horrendous tortures.  
  
Lost in her memories, Hermione continued along the castle passageways, staring at the floor as if trying to find something that wasn't there. It was then that she bumped into something - rather, someone - who was rather solid.  
  
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry -" She noticed masculine shoes. "Mr. -" She looked up, her hand outstretched. "Viktor?" she whispered.  
~ 


	10. The Kidnapping and Marianna's Rune

The Legend of Chastity Lorna  
Chapter Ten  
By Alicia Marie Jennings  
~  
  
"Viktor?" Hermione sputtered again. "But - but - you're working for Voldemort! I saw you there! You tortured me!"  
  
Viktor smiled, an evil grin. "Ahh, yes, my sveet. I haff pledged my allegiance to Lord Voldemort. I see you haff pledged your allegiances to ze crown."  
  
"GUARDS!!!" Hermione screamed, but she knew no one would hear her. She drew out her wand. "Viktor, I swear, one step towards me and I'll -"  
  
"You'll do what?" he hissed, drawing his own wand. "I know more Dark Arts than you'd ever hope to know, my queen. And you've barely used your wand in three very long years."  
  
"EXPELLIARMUS!" Hermione yelled. Viktor's wand flew into her hand. And then, gathering all her wits and strength about her, she turned and sprinted back down the hall, from the direction she came. She knew that she could never do it. Viktor's legs were much longer than hers, and he was far more athletic than she. "Guards!" she yelled again. "Guards!" Viktor was gaining on her. "HARRY!" she screamed before Viktor snatched her by the hair, taking both wands out of her hands. Binding her hands and feet and putting a gag on her mouth, he scooped up the struggling queen, threw on an Invisibility Cloak, and quickly made his way out of the castle.  
  
~  
  
Harry finally was able to awaken from his dream. He dressed himself quickly and made his way to Hermione's rooms. The RA guard was asleep, and Harry gently awoke him.   
  
"Sir, why don't you end your shift now?" Harry said kindly. "I'm sure that someone else is up now."  
  
The RA guard, embarassed at the king finding him asleep, stuttered, "Ahh...ahh...yes, Your Majesty."   
  
Harry knocked on the door. "Hermione? Hermione, love, it's time to rise." He heard nothing. "Hermione?" he asked again, leaning against the door slightly. It swung open, nearly sending Harry to the floor.  
  
"Guard? Is this door supposed to be locked?"  
  
"Yes, Your Majesty."  
  
Harry frowned, entering Hermione's room. "Hermione?" He stepped on a piece of paper.  
  
-----  
Her Majesty is accompanying me to Albania.  
-V.K.  
-----  
  
A broken queen piece of a wizard's chess set lay next to the paper. "Ahh, sir?" Harry's guard asked hesitantly. "Is something wrong?"   
  
"Get Professor Dumbledore," Harry said, in a steely whisper, picking up the broken chess piece. "Tell him the Queen has been taken."  
  
~  
  
Viktor took her to the outskirts of Hogsmeade, where a portkey awaited, which took them into a desolate forest.  
  
'Albania,' Hermione thought. 'Where Voldemort is.' Her thoughts were interrupted when Viktor dropped her to the ground. She bit her tounge against the pain of the sharp rocks. She would not cry out. She would not give them the satisfaction. He began untying her feet.  
  
"You vill valk from here," he said gruffly. Hermione made no noise, no sound of acknowledgement, no move to rise. He pulled her roughly to her feet, and only then did she walk.  
  
They obviously didn't have a clue. She was strong three years ago. And she was even stronger now. She was Queen Hermione Anne-Elizabeth, descended of the house of Stuart, marrying today into the house of Allen-Potter. And she would never give in!  
  
The compound came into view. Hermione wanted to vomit at the mere sight of it. Good years of her life had been wasted here. Her parents had been murdered here. She'd seen them murdered, then she had been made to dig their grave, on the outer reaches of the fortress.  
  
Before Hermione knew it, Viktor was knocking on the door of Voldemort's own chambers. Her heart was pounding, and her knees were shaky, but she made none of it known, too proud to let her guard down.  
  
"Well," hissed a voice. "Hermione Granger graces us with her presence once more."  
  
Hermione raised her chin slightly. "You will address your Queen as 'Your Highness,' or 'My Queen', or some other title of reverence, Mister Riddle. I will not take lack of respect from anyone."  
  
Voldemort rose slowly, making his way towards her, his eyes menacing. "Might I remind you, my queen," he said, his voice venemous, "That you are a prisoner in my hands? That I owe you virtually no respect? That I could keep you alive in comfort....or I could kill you slowly and painfully, while your court watches your agony?"  
  
Hermione did not lower her glare. She kept her chin up, her shoulders straight. Her mother had called this her "empress" look. And this man that she was glaring at was the reason her mother was not here now. And that was enough for Hermione to hold her ground.  
  
'That's right,' she told herself firmly. 'They may take away everything you have, but you still have the right to fight for your freedom. You must stand firm. You must hold your ground.'  
  
~  
  
Hermione was led into a dirty, cramped cell. No light was to be found anywhere. The Death Eater laughed as he locked the door. "Honeymoon quarters."  
  
"Thank you, Draco," said Hermione. The Death Eater's steps halted, but after a moment, he continued on.  
  
Hermione felt her way around the cell. Small, and solid. She cursed silently. So much for a loose brick or something of that sort. She took a step backwards - and tripped. Her arms flew out, trying to grasp something, futile in an empty cell. The back of her head hit the stone wall, and she blacked out.  
  
Hermione found herself in the midst of a strange, strange dream. She was watching an image of herself. The image wore a white dress, a gauzy, light material, and she stood in the same cell she had been imprisoned in, only the tiny cell was illuminated with bright, white light. Her hands were risen toward the ceiling, and Hermione heard her own voice.  
  
"Here, in my most desperate hour  
I call on my kingdom with all it's power  
And the wind  
And the rain  
And the snow  
And the lightening  
And the fire, with all it's strength  
I call on you now, come forth to my aid!  
I call on the dragons, the mighty centaurs  
The giants in all their glory  
The unicorns and all their purity  
Cretures of the magical world, large and small  
Come to me, serve me, I call you all!"  
  
The walls began to shake, and the floor began to crumble. The ceiling fell apart, great slabs of it falling to the floor, none of it injuring her image. Her hands, still raised, summoned forth rains and snows to flood, and lightening to destroy what was left. And quite suddenly, her hands were grasped by someone, pulling her out of the collapsing fortress.  
  
One look at the emerald-green eyes told her it was Harry.  
  
~~  
  
Miles and miles away, Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore, and Ronald Weasley were bending concerned faces over a book. The title, in gold peeling letters on a red velvet cover, read "Ancient Runes of Atlantis".  
  
"Where in the name of God did you find this book, Professor?" asked Ron, poring over a page.  
  
"I didn't find it," said Dumbledore quietly. "It found me. It just turned up on my bookshelf. I was reading through it long ago, and something came up about the legend, and so I figured it might be of some use now. Princess Marianna of Atlantis, the first bearer of the crown Hermione wears, comissioned this book." Dumbledore lasped into thoughtful silence as they all looked through the book. "But I just don't understand," said Dumbledore softly.  
  
Harry didn't like hearing those words from Dumbledore. Dumbledore was always supposed to have a solution. "What is it, Professor?"  
  
"The crown," he said softly. "Gone from the room...but she can't have it on...otherwise, she would've been able to escape. None other hand than hers and yours can remove that crown. She probably didn't have it on when she was taken. But the crown will find it's way to her," he said, pointing to a page, "And then she can use this."  
  
Harry looked at the paragraph.  
  
~~~~ THE ANCIENT RUNE OF MARIANNA  
  
Here, in my most desperate hour  
I call on my kingdom with all it's power  
And the wind  
And the rain  
And the snow  
And the lightening  
And the fire, with all it's strength  
I call on you now, come forth to my aid!  
I call on the dragons, the mighty centaurs  
The giants in all their glory  
The unicorns and all their purity  
Cretures of the magical world, large and small  
Come to me, serve me, I call you all!  
~~~  
  
"We must go to her," said Ron, his face parchment white. "We must."  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "There is no time to waste. Let us hurry."  
  
~~~  
  
Hermione awoke from the dream, confused and a bit frightened. The cell was still dark, and her head throbbed. Instinctively, she patted her side, where a pocket usually was, looking for her wand. It was not there. She hit her fist on the floor in frustration, and gasped when her fist hit something metal.  
  
Carefully, she picked up the object, running her hands over it, trying to figure out what it was......  
  
Her tiara!  
  
"But how......?" she wondered softly aloud, putting it on her head, in it's rightful place. "Surely they wouldn't have given it to me..."  
  
She thought back ot the dream. That ancient rune...could she remember it? And if she could remember it....would it work?  
  
Hermione slowly stood, realizing that her clothes didn't feel as heavy. She fingered her skirt....it was the light, gauzy material from her dream. And then she knew. It had been no ordinary dream. Some way or another, she'd had a vision. A real vision. Slowly, she lifted her hands to the ceiling, looking up as she did so.  
  
"Here in my most desperate hour...." she said softly. Light began to stream into the cell, soft white rays. "I call on my kingdom with all it's power," she continued, stronger. "And the wind  
And the rain  
And the snow  
And the lightening  
And the fire, with all it's strength  
I call on you now, come forth to my aid!  
I call on the dragons, the mighty centaurs  
The giants in all their glory  
The unicorns and all their purity  
Cretures of the magical world, large and small  
Come to me, serve me, I call you all!"  
  
By the time Hermione finished the rune, she was shouting, and the cell was as bright as a fire itself. The ceiling began to shake, and the floor trembled. Hermione heard rain sheets pelt the outer walls, and heard thunder as lightening struck the compound. She smelled smoke. She hard hoofbeats of the centaurs and unicorns, she heard thundering footsteps of dragons and giants. The wind howled, and instead of rain, icy cold snow began to pelt the building. And then, she heard the unmistakeable sound of human voices.  
  
"Come on, Ron! She has to be here somewhere!"   
  
"HARRY!" she yelled with all her might. "Harry! I'm here, right here!" Some of the ceiling and wall fell, allowing her to see the night sky outside. "Harry! Ron!" She ducked as more of the ceiling fell, and heard the screams and yells of the Death Eaters. "Harry!"   
  
A hand reached down to her. "Hermione! Come on, the whole thing is about to cave in!"  
  
She gripped his hands tightly, and with Ron's help he pulled her out of the rubble. Cradling her like a child, Harry ran away from the destruction. Ron's face was white, his eyes wide at the ruins of the fortress. Dumbledore held out a Portkey. The portkey, along with the night's events, made her faint dead away.  
  
The last view Harry had of the fortress was of Voldemort climbing out of the rubble.  
  
~~  
  
Author's note:  
  
So Hermione didn't kill Voldie.....*sniff*. Okay, I was proofreading the other day....and I realized i made like a REALLY BIG MISTAKE in Ch. 3, part one of the legend. In his speech at the birthday feast, Charles says that it's Chastity's seventeenth birthday. IT'S NOT. In fact, it was her THIRTEENTH birthday. I apologize for any confusion, and I will change that part of the story as soon as possible.  
  
With love ~*~ Alicia M.  
  
P.S. IN BAD NEED OF A PROOFREADER! If you would like to assist me, PLEASE e-mail me at angel_jaimes16@hotmail.com. I would appreciate your help!!!  
  
P.P.S. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, and in response to claire - I had heard about the kosovo trade, but I didn't intentionally base it on that, I don't think.....however, I did use information from a book I read called Soiled Doves. And Harry and Hermione are registered at Linens and Things and Pier 1. :-) And Escritora - get out the orangutans! 


	11. A Christmas To Remember

The Legend of Chastity Lorna  
Chapter Eleven  
By Alicia Jennings  
~  
  
Harry and Ron sat by Hermione's bed in an all-night vigil. Harry shook his head. Had that stupid, idiot Voldemort not intervened, they'd be married now, thought Harry bitterly.  
  
All the guests were staying the night at Hogwarts, waiting to see how the queen was. Dumbledore had been more than generous with arrangements, and Harry was grateful. Mrs. Weasley had come in earlier, enveloping both Ron and Harry in a huge hug. Harry had the feeling that they'd both needed it at that moment.  
  
The king looked at his fiancee's sleeping face. She had a few streaks of dirt on her cheeks and forehead. He dipped a washcloth in the washbasin beside the bed and washed the dust off. As he was doing so, her eyes popped open.  
  
"Harry?" she asked softly. "Ron?"  
  
"We're here," said Ron, taking her left hand, and Harry taking her right.  
  
"Harry, is the baby okay? What about the fortress? Did that rune work? How long have I been asleep?"  
  
"Shh-hh, Mio," said Harry softly. "The baby's fine, as far as I know. And yes, the rune worked. The fortress is in shambles. It's Christmas morning."  
  
"Ohh," said Hermione softly. "The wedding...."  
  
"It's all right," said Harry. "The guests are staying here at the castle. When you are well enough, we'll be married."  
  
"I feel fine," she insisted, sitting up. "Let's go get married."  
  
"Hermione," said Ron gently, "It's five in the morning."  
  
"Good," she said, swinging her legs to the side of the bed. "That'll give me....about nine and a half hours to get ready if we have the wedding at three."  
  
Ron looked at Harry, who shrugged. "Ron, you've known her as long as I have. It's hard to convince her not to do something."  
  
Hermione smiled. "Ha. I win." She gripped her stomach. "Guys? I'm really hungry."  
  
Harry stood. "I'll help you get dressed, then we'll go down to the kitchens, okay?"  
  
"I'll wait outside," said Ron.  
  
"Harry, I can dress myself, honestly," said an exasperated Hermione, standing up. Harry pushed her back down on the bed.  
  
"Hermione, would you just take it easy?" he said, grabbing a robe from the closet for her. "And what are you wearing, anyway?"  
  
Hermione looked at the gauzy dress. "No idea. When I woke up from the vision, I was just....wearing it." She looked at the robe he just threw on the bed. "Harry? I need some clean underwear too, y'know."  
  
When she finally had all the right articles, she shooed him out. "Go on, Harry. I can dress myself. Honestly."  
  
"If you need help, or you fall or something, you'll call, right?"   
  
"Harry!" she said loudly. "I'm not made out of porcelain! I'll be fine. Now go keep Ron company."  
  
~~~  
  
After a few minutes of struggle, Hermione was dressed, and they all went down to the kitchens. Hermione instinctively gripped Harry's and Ron's hands tighter when they neared the spot where Viktor had been.  
  
"I guess this is the last time we'll ever be sneaking down to the kitchens," said Harry lightly. "It's off to our new home after the wedding."  
  
They walked in silence for a few moments, then suddenly, Ron burst out, "It's not fair."  
  
Harry and Hermione looked at him. Ron answered their looks. "You two have been through so much, and it's just not fair. You two haven't done anything to deserve it. It's not as though you asked to be king and queen. It's just not fair to you two." He jammed his hands in his pockets. "You've been through way too much to only be twenty one."  
  
"And you haven't?" asked Hermione softly. She smiled gently at Ron through tear-rimmed eyes. "We've all been through hell and back, Ron. If we dwell on the fact we didn't deserve it...well, there'd be no point in living." She glanced at Harry, then back to Ron, and then to her stomach. "And I have a lot to live for. Even if you guys weren't around, I'd have a lot to live for just 'cause I'm gonna kill that bastard who killed Harry's and I's parents. Well....at least help kill," she finished.  
  
"Let's go get some breakfast before we do any killing, shall we?" said Harry, running his hand over the green pear in the kitchen portrait. "I do hate having to kill someone on an empty stomach."  
  
"Hey," said Hermione, putting on a fake pout, "Aren't you going to marry me before you go out killing anyone?"  
  
"Oh, right, I'd forgotten about that," said Harry, grinning. Hermione punched him in the shoulder. "Ouch! For a girl, you sure do hit hard."  
  
"I'm not a girl," said Hermione. "I'm a woman."  
  
Ron rolled his eyes, and grabbed a few sweet rolls from a tray passing by. "Let's see if we can mooch some stuff. Too bad Dobby isn't working anymore. Didn't he and Winky get married, so to speak, and go off to some cottage?"  
  
"Something like that," said Hermione absentmindedly, taking a sweet roll from Ron.  
  
"Hey!" said Ron, indignant.  
  
"Never keep food around a woman," said Hermione, "Who hasn't eaten in a couple of days."  
  
"Or her fiancee," said Harry, also taking a roll, "For that matter." He looked at his watch. "Say, Hermione, wanna have a Christmas wedding at three?"  
  
"I suppose I could fit it into my schedule," said Hermione. "I'll have to check with my personal assistant, though," she said, very seriously.  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione had a great chuckle over that.  
  
~~  
  
After nicking some more food from the elves, the three friends found a deserted classroom to quickly eat their breakfast in. By the time they were finished, it was six o' clock, and the castle was beginning to stir.  
  
"I'm going to my room," said Hermione, kissing Harry on the cheek. "And I don't want to see you until three o'clock. It's bad luck."  
  
"I'll talk to Dumbledore about arrangements," said Harry, giving her a smile. "Ron, could you please escort her to her room?"  
  
Groaning, Hermione allowed herself to be taken by the arm and quite literally marched to her room. Harry, with a wave of his wand, sent their dishes back to the kitchens, and then went to see Dumbledore.  
  
Knocking on the door of the Professor's office made him feel fourteen again. He'd probably been in this office more than any other student in history, with the possible exceptions of James Potter and Sirius Black. He doubted that the Weasley twins had lived up to their glory.  
  
"Come in," called Dumbledore.  
  
Harry entered, and Dumbledore bent his head slightly. "Good morning, Your Majesty,"   
  
"Good morning, sir," said Harry. "Hermione woke up around five, and demanded that there be a wedding ceremony at three o' clock." Harry grinned. "That's a queen for you."  
  
Dumbledore chuckled. "Well, well. There's a pastor in this castle to perform the ceremony, so why not?"  
  
Harry smiled again. "Happy Christmas, Professor."  
  
"Indeed, Your Majesty," said Dumbledore. "A very happy Christmas."  
  
~  
  
Mrs. Weasley was a sort of stand-in mother-of-the-bride, helping Hermione get ready for the big event. Ginny and Lavender also hovered, giggling and chattering until Hermione was about to scream at them to be quiet.  
  
"I still can't believe you're queen," said Mrs. Weasley. "You've been practically one of my own! And my dear Ron as Minister! I never would have thought," said Mrs. Weasley, fanning herself with a white handkerchief.  
  
"Oh, MUM," said Ginny in exasperation, "We all knew that Hermione, Harry, and Ron would be special one day." Ginny smiled at Hermione. "But you still stole him! I *so* wanted to date him!"  
  
Hermione laughed. "Ahh," she said, swooning dramatically, "It was him who stole me! Oh, the woes of love!"  
  
All four women cracked up, in fits of laughter so monumental that tears leaked from their eyes. "Oh!" Hermione gasped. "My makeup!" She hurriedly ran to the mirror to repair the minor damage, and while running, two curlers fell out of her hair. "Oh, blast it all!"  
  
Trying to contain their laughter, the other women rose to help the panicked bride. "Hermione, dear," said Mrs. Weasley, trying to assist her, "It won't be the last time you cry today. Use waterproof! It's your wedding day!"  
  
~  
  
Hermione, suprisingly enough, was not nervous at all as she stood outside the Great Hall, on Dumbledore's arm. She had asked the professor to stand in place of her father, and he had gladly accepted. Hermione almost giggled at the sight of the Professor straightening his robes.  
  
"Professor, you aren't nervous, are you?" she asked, grinning.  
  
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "On the contrary, Your Highness. I only want to look my best. The Queen of Great Britain's in there, you know, along with some other fine ladies, some of whom are quite single."  
  
Hermione was giggling as the wedding march began to play. The doors magically swung open wide, and Hermione and Dumbledore entered. Hermione noticed that the Great Hall had been magically expanded to accommodate the decorations and guests. Christmastime at Hogwarts had never been so beautiful. There were two first year girls from Gryffindor who had stayed for the holidays, and Hermione had asked them to be flowergirls. They immediately complied. She'd also gotten six boys from various houses to be ushers. The four other older girls who'd stayed at the castle were also attendants. Hermione left no one out. She was a queen...she could have a big wedding party if she wanted to!  
  
Hermione blinked in suprise. They'd reached the altar. Harry stood in front of her, smiling a bit nervously. Hermione turned and kissed Professor Dumbledore on the cheek, and then joined her soon-to-be husband.  
  
"Ready?" Harry asked softly, so soft that Hermione was sure that the pastor had not heard.  
  
"You bet," she whispered back, grinning from ear to ear.  
  
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the bonds of holy matrimony between His Highness, Harry James Potter, and Her Highness, Hermione Anne-Elizabeth Granger..."  
  
And so they were wed.  
  
~  
  
It was roughly four hours later that Harry and Hermione Potter, in true royal romance fashion, rode away in a horse-drawn carriage (that had a few, ahem, adjustments - like winged horses) with only a five-person escort. After all...they *were* on their honeymoon.  
  
Hermione had a broad grin on her face as she snuggled up to her husband in the plush carriage. "So, where are we off to, my husband?"  
  
"To Allen Hall," said Harry, "It has been relocated to the forest beyond Hogsmeade. And the only occupants in it for an entire week will be you and me. I told the staff to scat."  
  
Hermione smiled even broader. "I have you all to myself."  
  
"Indeed you do," said Harry, drawing her closer to him. "And here we are!"  
  
Hermione stared out the window. The castle was almost the size of Hogwarts, and she couldn't imagine how she would ever find her way around. A river and lake sealed off access from the north and east except for a drawbridge. A large wall sealed off the south and west. The castle itself was a five-floored hodgepodge of balconies, turrets, and widow's walks. Hermione thought that it did not have the look of a huge, forboding castle, but looked graceful and airy.  
  
The footmen opened the door, and extended their hands to Hermione, but Harry waved them away. "Oh no, you don't," he said, jumping from the carriage. He grabbed Hermione around the waist and swept her up into his arms. "It's my job to sweep her off her feet."  
  
Four guards stood at the entrance to Allen Hall. The top rank among them called, "Present arms!" They drew swords and made an upside-down V above the king and queen's heads.   
  
A butler waited on the front steps. "Is there anything that you need before I leave, your highness?"  
  
Harry sat Hermione down, smiling at the old man. "Nothing at all, thank you very much. Go to your family, now. Aren't you going on a vacation to Majorca?"  
  
The butler looked startled. "Why, no, sir -"  
  
"You are now," said Harry, giving him a pouch full of money. "Tell the rest of the staff I'll be giving them bonuses tomorrow morning."  
  
The butler had a broad grin. "Thank you, sir." Sterling had a feeling he would like his employer.  
  
The king took his wife back in his arms, and they entered the now-empty Allen Hall. Harry and Hermione's mouths dropped open at the grandeur of their castle.   
  
The atrium they had entered had a cathedral ceiling, with a staircase that spiraled up to the very top floor of their new abode. A huge skylight showed the starry night sky. Pictures adorned the wall, along with rich tapestries and sconces. Sculptures also dotted the first floor. The rich walnut floor had Oriental rugs and the staircase had a beautiful carpet runner. Accents of gold and silver were everywhere.  
  
"Harry? I'm afraid to walk in here...I'm afraid I'll damage something." Hermione's warm brown orbs were looking around, taking in her surroundings. "It looks so rich."  
  
"My dear," said Harry, drawing her closer, "We are rich. And this is your home...you can feel comfortable here."  
  
Hermione slid out of his arms and set her feet on the beautiful Oriental rug. A picture caught her attention, and she walked to it. "It's Perrin and Chastity," she said softly. "It's them, in Allen Hall, while it was still in London."  
  
"It's so odd...that we look almost exactly like them..." Harry joined her by the portrait. "I wish that we knew more of their life."  
  
"As do I...but we cannot go back to the late 1600's," said Hermione. Then she raised her eyebrows. "Or can we...?"  
  
"Oh no," groaned Harry. "Can't we at least have our honeymoon first?"  
  
Hermione grinned, wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing him soundly. As a breathless Harry drew back, she laughed. "Maybe we should have our honeymoon first."  
  
~~  
  
Harry and Hermione's week alone at Allen Hall was an adventuresome one. They felt like first years again, learning their way around the cavernous castle. There were a few magical "architecture features", much like how Hogwarts was. And Hermione was quite thrilled to find a library.  
  
It was on their way to the library one day that Harry and Hermione stumbled on a most -ahem- unusual discovery.  
  
~  
  
Author's Note:  
  
Well everyone, hopefully this chapter was error free, because LEAH the soul sistah proofread every bit! Sorry I haven't had it up before now, but I've been quite busy. Life kinda sucks right now.   
  
Well anyways, everyone give their thanks and looted gold to Claire (for referral and overall greatness!) and to Leah (my new proofreader soul sistah!) And of course many thanks to those of you who actually read this abomination of English some like to call a fanfiction. :-) I appreciate your support! Ciao!!!  
  
~*~Alicia~*~ 


	12. Harry discovers when the battle will occ...

The Legend of Chastity Lorna   
Chapter 12  
By Alicia Marie Jennings  
~  
  
Months passed. Winter held an icy grip on the Scottish countryside, and winter held an icy grip on the heart of Voldemort. Rumors of murders by Voldemort filtered into the Potter mansion, each marked by a pushpoint pin on a map of the world in Harry and Hermione's study. The couple pored over legions of books of dark arts spells, defense spells, and more. And then, the spring came, bringing lush green out of the snow. And soon, the summer months came, and with them the departure of students from Hogwarts - which meant Dumbledore spent even more time on the cause.  
  
And as the months passed, the baby inside of Hermione grew. Morning sickness and backaches plagued her, and often the king sent her back to bed and posted guards at the door. It was mornings like these when Anna, the butler's wife, went to the king and queen's chambers and removed anything that could be broken, as the queen was inclined to throw hissy fits at this forced rest.  
  
There were history books strewn all about the castle. Hermione and Harry, on the way to the library one day, discovered a monstrous volume entitled The Rise and Fall of James Scott, son of Charles II on a dusty shelf. Hermione took the huge book into her arms like a child. *Soon, I'll hold a child,* she thought. Seven months along....only two more, and she'd have a child to love...or did she already love the child she carried? *Too much of a paradox this early in the morning,* she thought, shaking her head and leafing through the book as she walked alongside her husband.  
  
*AN - this is an excerpt from the book, and obviously *muggle* book*  
  
THE BATTLE OF EQUINOX-  
James Scott met his downfall at a battle near Stratford on the fall equinox, where a lesser noble under Charles II named Perrin Allen led a vast army to vanquish him. It was rumored that these two armies had weapons of mass destruction that had never been seen before. On both sides, numerous bodies were found to have a lightening bolt scar on their flesh, if there was much of a body left at all. James Scott died of wounds days later, and his rebellion was sufficiently crushed.  
-  
  
"Harry?" asked Hermione softly.  
  
"Hmm?" They were at the library now, seated in couches, numerous volumes before them.  
  
"Do you remember...from our charms classes and defense against the dark arts classes...remember our professors telling us that the equinoxes and solstices were an especially magical time of year? That people almost incapable of holding a wand -" Neville Longbottom popped into her mind - "could do immense things on the equinox? That people with even remote training could do things nearly impossible?"  
  
"Yeah....I do..."  
  
"Well...what if James Scott was a wizard? What if he had wizard followers? That in itself would explain not only why he chose the equinox to attack but also why there's curse marks on not only his soldiers, but royal soldiers as well."  
  
Harry's mouth was set in a grim line, and he snapped A Summarization of Muggle Battles shut. "Let's go see Dumble -" Then he took in Hermione's swelling abdomen. "On second thought....since you can't Apparate...and Floo powder isn't a good idea...mayhap Professor Dumbledore could come here."  
  
"A wise choice," said Anna, a bit of sarcasm in her voice, from the doorway.  
  
Hermione laughed as Harry rolled his eyes. "Anna, do you mind sending an owl to Professor Dumbledore?"  
  
"Not at all, if it keeps Your Highnesses from traveling," said Anna, turning on her heel. Hermione, still giggling, pecked Harry on the cheek before going to her rooms to gather some notes she'd been collecting.  
  
~  
  
Minutes later, Professor Dumbledore sat with Harry and Hermione in the Blue Parlor, looking at legions of notes through half-moon glasses, being careful to not miss anything.  
  
"Doesn't it make sense, Professor?" said Hermione breathlessly. "Why wouldn't Voldemort use a day of the changing of the seasons? It gives him even more power! Besides, he has to use the Equinox to launch a big attack. This age parallels the last, Perrin and Chastity's age! He has no choice!"  
  
"It would make sense, Your Majesty." Dumbledore carefully put the heaps of parchment back on the coffee table, being careful to not upset the tea service. "How much are you planning to risk on this theory?"  
  
"Everything," said Hermione, determined. "James Scott led series of smaller rebellions and slayings of nobles before finally reaching a climax at this, the Battle of Equinox. Everything parallels, Professor...including dates of attacks, and even places."  
  
Dumbledore rose, the twinkle in his merry blue eyes quite hidden. "Very well. I will summon the Aurors to Hogwarts...since it is the summer months, they can stay there, and we will research precisely how we want this battle to be played out. Severus can try and gain as many details as possible - he may be our greatest help through all of this."  
  
"Agreed," said Harry. "I will go see Ron immediately, to tell him of all this. Gather the Aurors, if you will. I'll visit them as soon as I can, once they are all gathered."  
  
Dumbledore nodded, and bowed. "I will do as you wish, Your Majesty. May you have a pleasant day." And with that, he was gone as quickly as he came.  
  
Hermione sighed, rubbing her hands absentmindedly over her belly - a habit she'd gotten into doing lately, being rewarded with a kick every now and then. So much sifting through books, only to be found in such a small paragraph....she smiled. Life was ironic. After all, she was Queen of wizarding Britain, and pregnant to boot. And she was honored and revered, wheras only months ago men treated her as property, simply to be used to have a good time.  
  
"Penny for your thoughts?" asked Harry, smiling softly as he scooted closer to her, putting his arms around her.  
  
"You forgot to add in inflation and taxes," she teased him.  
  
"Oh, whatever," said Harry, kissing her on the cheek. They sat in silence a few moments. Then Harry spoke again. "How can you stand it, Hermione?"  
  
She looked at him in suprise. "What?"  
  
"Being pregnant. The morning sickness, the back aches, the head aches, the weight gain, the hormones out of whack, then the pain of delivery....how do you do it?"  
  
She smiled at him. "Well, it's sort of hard to explain, I think....I'll try to, though. Every time I feel as if I could give up, I imagine what our child is going to look like. Then I imagine what their first word will be, when they'll walk, when they'll run....then I imagine what they're going to be like in school, who will be their friends....and then I imagine when they're going to have children, and what that will make us - grandparents. All because of our love."  
  
"Or a one night stand."  
  
"No, no," she reprimanded him gently. "This was meant to be. This is what love truly is, Harry. A child is simply love manifested."  
  
And then they sat in silence, until the weary mother-to-be drifted off to sleep. With that, Harry donned his cloak, and set off for the Ministry of Magic. He had some business with the Minister.  
  
And it was quite the matter of urgency - the equinox was only roughly two months away.  
  
~  
  
A/N - Gah!!! I'm so sorry it's so short, and that i haven't posted in ages, and that it isn't beta-read (i just had to post it...if she finds any mistakes, i'll change it, but geez! I just had to post!).  
  
SO much has happened! I will truly tell you - this story is nearing it's end. maybe two or three more chapters. I'm not the absolute die-hard H/H shipper anymore (although it still owns). I've become a bit more open-minded. In fact...you might see a Hr/someone else fic up soon........other than Fleur d'ecarlate (which was a bit stupid and pointless...my muse is on crack). Oh well. I better go to bed. I need sleep...ballet tomorrow...yes, you heard me, i'm now taking ballet (that damn muse is up to NO good, i tell you.).  
  
Love, and Cheer - Alicia 


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